Notice Board

Alberta Gambling Research Institute Background

The Alberta Gambling Research Institute is a consortium of the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, and Lethbridge. Its mission is ‘to facilitate evidence-based broad research that informs gambling public policy and educates Albertans and the wider audience about the effects of gambling’.

The provincial government, through the Alberta Lottery Fund, has committed resources to support research and build capacity at the participant Universities. This grant application cycle runs from May 9, 2016 to June 24, 2016 (to ORIS). Up to $160,000 over 3 years is available to fund curiosity-driven basic research. The Institute’s other activities include:

• funding of literature reviews on various gambling-related research topics;
• supporting capacity building at each of the participant Universities;
• developing and maintaining the Institute website;
• developing the collections and promoting access to library and support resources;
• organizing and sponsoring symposia and conferences;
• participating in research events;
• disseminating information and publications on current research; and,
• awarding graduate and doctoral level scholarships and research allowances to new scholars.

The administrative hub for the Institute is located at the University of Calgary (SS820, University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4). Each of the partner Universities also has an affiliated research coordinator (see contact information above). For more information about the Institute and its achievements to date, please see www.abgamblinginstitute.ualberta.ca or contact the office at (403) 220-3062. Please click here for information about this call for Major Grant proposals:

http://www.abgamblinginstitute.ualberta.ca/GrantOpportunities/MajorGrants.aspx

Goals of AGRI:

1. To encourage, foster, and solicit research to better understand the role and impacts of gambling on the individual and society
2. To ensure research is collaborative and has stakeholder support
3. To support the development of research capacities across broad research disciplines
4. To contribute to making research accessible, useful and applied

Stakeholder Identified High Priority Research Areas

For the 2016-17 proposal cycle, the following stakeholder identified priorities will receive particular consideration:

Crime and gambling – Service providers seek more information on the impacts of addictions on criminal behavior related to gambling (including theft, fraud, and robbery); impacts on families and individuals (loss of employment, housing, property, inability to provide the essentials of life, divorce and suicide); as well as on illegal gambling. Research related to gambling venues which facilitate criminal activities (e.g. money laundering, other types of crimes); as well as zoning issues related to their placement also require research investigation.

Internet gambling – The pervasiveness of this relatively recent format has accelerated it to the forefront of research demand. Some research has been completed, much is underway, but it will assuredly remain high on the gambling research agenda.

Indigenous/First Nations gambling – A continuing priority identified by stakeholders is the need for further, including comparative, research into gambling behaviors and industry involvement of First Nations and other indigenous populations.

Longitudinal followup studies – Basic understanding of the gambling behaviors and habits of various age cohorts was identified as being an integral building block for future research. A partner university multi-disciplinary team was commissioned to undertake a 7-year longitudinal study to follow five age cohorts of Albertans (over 1800 in total). Other Canadian jurisdictions, as well as others worldwide, have (or are in the process of) conducting similar studies. Associated and follow-up research continues to be a high priority. For more information, see: http://www.abgamblinginstitute.ualberta.ca/Research/StrategicPartnershipsCollabora/LeisureLifestyleLifecycleProje.aspx

Public policy – Comparative and evaluative research on social responsibility programs with a view to determining best practice guidelines. How should responsible gambling be measured? How should revenue generation be balanced with effective social responsibility? Some examples of particular interest are: effects of advertising, sustainability of gambling under ideal regulatory conditions, and the role of recreational gambling and sports betting in Alberta.

Socio-economic – Over time, enormous focus has been put on developing and applying a model for identifying and assessing the fullest range possible of individual, family and societal impacts of gambling, including a major multidisciplinary AGRI-funded study in Alberta in 2008 (R. Williams/B. Humphreys et al – see: http://www.abgamblinginstitute.ualberta.ca/Research/StrategicPartnershipsCollabora/SocialEconomicImpactsofGamblin.aspx). Follow-up and further studies are needed to help determine: What is the appropriate level for the provincial government to make from gambling revenue? What percentage of revenue is from problem gamblers? How should revenue generation be balanced with effective social responsibility?

Provision and delivery of effective treatment programs – Although the evidence base for preventing and treating gambling disorders is growing, intervention research continues to be a priority. Stakeholders are interested in dissemination of research knowledge, translation of basic research findings into intervention, identification of best practices, development of easily accessible guidelines for clinicians/treatment providers, and provision of treatment in easily accessible modalities such as telephone, Internet and text. A specific stakeholder area of interest is to gain an understanding of the reason for the observed decline in numbers of treatment-seeking by problem gamblers as well as strategies for increasing treatment-seeking.

Research on the basic personality, social, cognitive and neurological mechanisms of gambling and disordered gambling are also encouraged, in particular with ties to prevention and intervention.

Proposals on these topics are encouraged but submissions are not restricted to only these topics. Applications for associated research that incorporates a gambling focus are eligible.