The National Center For Responsible Gaming (NCFRG) recently announced they will be giving an additional $7.6 million toward researching gambling addiction over the next five years. Funded primarily by the casino gambling industry, NCFRG is seeking to use the money to conduct more university-based, scientific research specifically on problem gambling, as opposed to general research that has hitherto viewed gambling as an extension of other addictions such as alcoholism.

Along with their announcement about the new funding, NCFRG also brought attention to their newly formed academic research-based program, EMERGE. Standing for Executive, Management and Employee Responsible Gaming Education, EMERGE is the first gambling research program of its kind. Spawn from a problem gambling conference held at the Mirage Casino, EMERGE is certification training program designed to educate casino employees about problem gambling and how to spot the warning signs and behaviors before they develop into addictions.

Although Nevada law down not require casino employees to be certified, NCFRG may be able to change that with the legitimacy of its research. Having established the Pathological Gambling Institute at the Harvard Medical School (integral in developing the EMERGE program) NCFRG has managed to hold its research up to the same level of scientific scrutiny that you would find in other disciplines. Although NCFRG has received significant contributions (over $15 million to be exact) from casino and gaming companies, all research grants are overseen by the Harvard Institute. According to NCFRG Chairman, Phil Satre, this helps to keep the research truly independent.

Now that gambling disorders are better understood, it is time to start making practical applications in the areas of prevention says Christine Reilly, who is the Executive Director of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard University. The most valid research to date shows that nearly 1% of all Americans suffer from a pathological gambling addiction.