University of Sydney establishes Gambling Research Center

A new Center of Excellence in Gambling Research or CoEGR has been set up at the University of Sydney. The new facility has every intention to work on advancing the understanding of gambling behavior and minimizing harm, using data and scientific approaches to reach conclusions that can be used for the betterment of the industry and achieving a stronger level of consumer protection.

CoEGR has received funding from the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG), an organization that seeks to advance the scientific community’s collective understanding of gambling disorder and responsible gambling and applying the results at a larger scale in the industry.

The AU$600,000 ($388,464) allocated to CoEGR will be used towards achieving this goal. The new center will be led by Professor Sally Gainsbury, an established expert in gambling psychology research, who will work with a diverse group of scientists equally committed to garnering a better understanding of how human mind works when exposed to gambling, what the risk and trigger factors are, and how consumers may be better protected.

The team that will be working as part of the center’s efforts includes researchers from the field of business, public health, psychology, economics, and others. The research is in itself groundbreaking as it would also seek to collaborate closely with major gambling operators and allow researchers to run live trials and collect invaluable information about player behavior and how different stimulants may influence people’s decisions.

Operators will provide the researchers with aggregate anonymous data that will allow researchers to look into specific gambling behavior as well as assess and evaluate whether operators are actually intervening properly, and what can be improved. The data collected and reviewed as part of this research activity could establish an international standard for the entire industry.

"This unprecedented collaboration with gambling operators will enable the center to overcome previous limitations in the field, paving the way for new and effective research outcomes," Professor Gainsbury said, hailing the approach and the significance of this new initiative.

Professor Gainsbury also talks about the need to make sure that consumers are aware of treatment and help options before they reach a critical point. Early stages of harm are the easiest to cope with, and this is when interventions ought to happen, through better consumer-focused tools and communication strategies.

This will be a collective effort, argues Professor Gainsbury, as the center will work with operators, regulators, community organizations, and policymakers to provide guidance to everyone involved with an evidence-based data and approach that can set aside a lack of consensus and help the industry move forward.

Among the initiatives that have set out to help better the industry’s understanding of gambling harm and harm prevention is Gamtegrity, a platform that reunites different tools and projects spearheaded by Casino Guru and the company’s Safer Gambling and Sustainability Program Šimon Vincze.

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