Representatives from the National Center for Responsible Gaming and the Task Force on College Gambling Policies spoke to a broad audience this morning about incorporating gambling disorders into existing campus health considerations and the importance of creating science-based policies and programs to address gambling on campus. The breakfast, hosted by the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver, drew a wide range of university stakeholders from institutions across the Denver metro area-from administrators and faculty to graduate counseling students, and from treatment providers to student leaders.
The Task Force on College Gambling Policies last month released its “Call to Action” report, which details 10 recommendations higher education institutions can use to create tailored, science-based policies and programs addressing gambling-related harms on campus. The task force was created by the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, with funding from the NCRG. Dr. Karin Dittrick-Nathan, assistant clinical professor of child, family and school psychology in the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver, is a member of the task force.
“Gambling disorders still are not widely understood or addressed on college campuses, as demonstrated by the fact that only 22 percent of U.S. colleges and universities have policies on gambling, according to a Harvard study,” said Dittrick-Nathan. “The task force’s recommendations provide higher education institutions a set of guidelines to begin discussing this issue and developing policies and programs about gambling that are appropriate for their individual campuses and promote student persistence in school.”
The breakfast at the University of Denver was part of the NCRG’s annual road tour, which this year visited Black Hawk/Central City and Denver, Colorado. In addition to the breakfast, the trip included a presentation to the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission and meetings with members of the Colorado Gaming Association and the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado, state government representatives, addiction treatment professionals and other stakeholders.
“Each year, the NCRG visits gaming communities to share information about the latest research on gambling disorders,” said Alan Feldman, NCRG board member and senior vice president of public affairs for MGM Mirage. “These tours help advance public education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming, promote responsible gaming practices and raise awareness about the importance of limiting gambling-related harms. We also help raise awareness among key stakeholders of how research is being translated into science-based, practical programs, as well as resources that can help them in their everyday work.”
This is the NCRG’s third annual road tour. Previously, the NCRG’s road tour has visited Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas and Philadelphia.
