Beverly, Mass.—The Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders (Institute) today announced the award of nearly $230,000 in project grant funding for two new research projects in its new investigator and public health project grant categories. An independent program of the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) charged with managing all of the NCRG’s grant-making responsibilities, the Institute seeks to advance understanding of gambling disorders through the support of rigorous scientific research and public education.

“The new research grants will support innovative investigations that will answer questions about the factors that determine the development of gambling disorders,” said Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute. “Through examining factors such as genetics, family history and personality types, these projects will help increase our understanding of gambling disorders and may have important implications for treatment and prevention.”

Dr. Adam S. Goodie, an associate professor of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia, and his team were awarded $172,233 for their public health research project that will explore motivational pathways to pathological gambling. According to the research proposal submitted to the Institute, while there is little evidence to support the notion of a single “addictive personality,” there is a great deal of evidence to support connections between specific personality traits and an increased likelihood of gambling problems.

Goodie’s research project will examine a sample of 300 gamblers to test whether certain personality types may have a direct, causal link to pathological gambling. The project will examine three personalities: (a) those with a tendency to experience anxiety, depression and anger; (b) those with a tendency to experience heightened positive emotions such as anticipatory excitement and incentive reward; and (c) those with heightened impulsivity that springs from reduced constraint. The goal of the project is to improve understanding of the determining factors that contribute to the development of gambling disorders to help inform prevention and treatment of different kinds of disordered gamblers.

The recipient of the New Investigator grant is Dr. Serena King, assistant professor of psychology at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., who was awarded $57,318 for her project. Under the mentorship of Dr. Ken Winters of the University of Minnesota, King will analyze the Minnesota Twin Family Study, which followed one set of twins from ages 11-17 and another from ages 17-23, to examine the roles that behavioral problems, genes and environment play in gambling behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood.

Research on gambling disorders suggests that gambling and gambling-related problems increase in prevalence between the ages of 17 and 24 and that sensation-seeking and the inability to control behavior play a critical role in the development of pathological gambling. Despite this fact, there has been little research specifically examining the developmental periods of adolescence to early adulthood. King’s research will expand the body of research on this subject and may help inform screening and prevention strategies.

The Institute’s competitive project grants program allows investigators from research institutions around the world to apply for funding for specific research projects. All research proposals are reviewed and selected by independent peer review panels of distinguished scientists in the field to ensure that only the highest quality research is funded.

To learn more about research supported by the NCRG and the Institute, visit www.gamblingdisorders.org.

The Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders is an independent program of the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) charged with managing and administering a competitive research grants program, and conducting public awareness and education about gambling disorders. For more information, visit www.gamblingdisorders.org. The NCRG is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. For more information, visit www.ncrg.org.