LAS VEGAS -- (Press Release) -- Gaming industry leaders, government regulators, academics, treatment providers, public health officials and public policy-makers will meet in Las Vegas next week to discuss cutting-edge addictions research and explore the implications of scientific research for regulation of the international gaming industry.
The fourth annual National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Conference on Gambling and Addiction marks the first major opportunity for all sectors concerned with gaming to come together for a comprehensive examination of gambling as a public health issue.
WHAT: "Regulating Addiction: How Individuals, Groups and Institutions Manage Excessive Behaviors," co-sponsored by the NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program at Harvard Medical School's Division on Addictions
Highlights of the event include discussions of:
· The principles of a public health approach to gambling
· Recent findings on alcohol and gambling on U.S. college campuses
· The link between genetics and susceptibility to addiction
· Minimizing gambling-related harms through gaming machine design
· Developing a science-based framework for responsible gaming
· The question of where personal responsibility ends and social responsibility begins in managing addictive behaviors
WHO: Participants include more than 300 leaders representing the scientific, treatment, public health, public policy and industry sectors. Featured speakers include:
· Dennis Eckart, chairman, NCRG
· Robert Ladouceur, professor of psychology, Universite Laval
· Phil Satre, chairman, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.
· Scott Scherer, member, Nevada Gaming Control Board
· Howard Shaffer, director, Division on Addictions, Harvard Medical School
· John Wilhelm, president, National Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union
WHERE: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
Conference Center (first floor)
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South
WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 7 – Tuesday, Dec. 9
For a full schedule of conference events, presentation abstracts, interview requests or other information, please call Holly Thomsen at 202-530-4508. A conference schedule is also available at www.ncrg.org.