• Caesars Entertainment supports the ICRG with a new $200,000 grant
• The company has done so through the Caesars Foundation
• The ICRG is fully committed to tackling gambling-related harm

The Caesars Foundation has allocated a new $200,000 grant to the International Council on Responsible Gambling (ICRG) to be used for targeted research and advancing the industry’s understanding of the psychological and biological triggers of addiction, and thus better understand how to prevent gambling-related harm.

Advancing research and education in responsible gambling

The charity organization, backed by the Caesars Entertainment hospitality brand, is allocating $20,000 of the money to be used for the hosting of the 26th Annual ICRG Conference on
Gambling and Addiction, which will further seek to clarify and explain core trends in gambling research.

The ICRG is focusing on boosting programs that have to do with research and education, with the ultimate goal of stemming gambling-related harm as well as enhance responsible gambling. The research that the ICRG conducts is meant to enhance global regulatory and player protection standards rather than focus on local industries.

The ICRG will use the remainder of the money - $180,000 – to find various competitive research and educational programs that will address co-occurring mental health conditions, advanced evidence-based treatment innovation, strengthen public health messaging, and help improve on existing and future policies.

ICRG President Arthur Paikowsky has hailed the contribution as an important next step in advancing the science of responsible gambling.

"Together, we are helping ensure that policies, treatment options, and prevention strategies are rooted in rigorous and independent scientific evidence," Paikowsky added, thanking the Caesars Foundation for its contribution.

Caesars Entertainment was similarly pleased with this tie-up. Kiersten Flint, SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Internal Communications, had this to add:

"Our partnership with the ICRG spans over 25 years, and we are honored to fund their important work. At Caesars, we prioritize making our Responsible Gaming policies and programs accessible to all of our customers. The ICRG’s high-quality research on gambling disorders and responsible gambling helps us and others prevent gambling-related harm."

There has been a strong push for advanced research insofar as responsible gambling is concerned, as the need to present lawmakers and the industry with grounded best practices has increased amid a regulatory push to clamp down on gambling as a whole.

However, the ICRG remains committed to objectively advancing the collective understanding of what triggers gambling addiction and leads to gambling-related harm, as well as how to address the underlying reasons.

Image credit: Unsplash.com