Grant to Study Teen Gambling
March 15th, 2007
Saint Mary’s University researchers have received $345,000 from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation to study the impact of gambling and gambling addiction on teens. “Our research is aimed at uncovering the common themes coming from youth concerning the commercial advertising of gambling and its impact on their perceptions of gambling and their play behaviours,” John McMullan, a sociology and criminology professor who’s the project’s lead researcher, said in a news release this week.
The four-year project will look at advertising for gambling from the Atlantic Lottery Corp., Casino Nova Scotia and the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Association, and unregulated advertising from websites, television and radio from Jan. 1, 2004, to Dec. 31, 2006, will be reviewed. Researchers will then interview teens to analyze the impact advertising has on them, the news release said, and the last part of the project will track beliefs and behaviours using continuous advertising snapshots over time.
I think this is a very positive step forward for the gaming industry as a whole because of all the potential problems that arise from gambling addiction at a young age.