Image: Shutterstock
What are the origins of problem gambling, and what treatments are most effective in helping those who come forward to try to break the cycle?
Those are questions that many leading figures in the field of compulsive gambling say have not been the subject of nearly enough research. But now Playtech, known as the world’s leading gambling technology company, has announced it has provided a grant to fund the launch of a research study with the Kindbridge Research Institute to create a teletherapy model for gambling and gaming disorders.
Kindbridge officials say they have commissioned the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University to build the telehealth model independently, “so that data produced through the treatment system can be used for peer-reviewed research and to provide data sets on a size and scale never before achieved when analyzing this population.”
Casino operators, nonprofit groups, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and state regulators across the country are invited to participate in the program, which seeks “to gather a detailed picture of the player journey – from the origin of the problematic gambling or gaming behavior, through to what has the greatest impact on outcomes for those seeking help.”
The time frame for providing this level of insight is expected to be 18 to 24 months.
“The centralized approach that we are taking to offering telehealth services to the gambling community is giving us an inside look at the demographic of individuals and family members that suffer from gambling problems on a scale that should allow data scientists, academics and researchers to gain more insight than ever before,” Kindbridge CEO Daniel Umfleet said in a statement.
Mor Weizer, Playtech CEO, said the goal is to help Kindbridge “pioneer the next generation of gambling treatment, services and support in the U.S.”
Video-game gambling addiction is among the topics for research, said Lia Nower, a professor and director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers.
“Kindbridge is the first treatment agency in the U.S. that is exclusively focused in these areas, and delivering treatment we can test for effectiveness fills an unmet need in this time of rapid expansion [of legal gambling],” Nower added.
Playtech Academy’s team will help Kindbridge therapists digitize its content as part of the new partnership.
Last month, Kindbridge announced a partnership with HIPnation, described as “an innovative healthcare solution that removes insurance, its restrictions, and complexities from primary care.”
That collaboration is designed to give HIPnation customers in Georgia, Florida, and Texas access to specialist gambling and gaming teletherapy through their existing primary care plans for a small increase in monthly premiums. It is said to be the first healthcare package to include gambling and video-gaming counseling in addition to more common mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
In May, Kindbridge launched a series of educational videos in conjunction with Entain Foundation and Game Quitters as part of a “Mind Your Game” initiative to help eSports players identify when they become at-risk players and how to manage away from those dangers.
“Imagine a world where a player or loved one can quickly find specialist advice and support for problematic gaming or gambling,” said Game Quitters Founder Cam Adair. “That’s the world I imagine, and that’s the world I’m excited to help build in collaboration with Kindbridge and Entain Foundation US.”
And earlier this year, Kindbridge and Entain teamed up on another project, along with the National Association of Administrators of Disordered Gambling Services and EPIC Risk Management, to conduct what is expected to be the largest problem gambling analysis since 2016.
Image: Shutterstock