Doubling Down on Gambling Research

The Centre for Gambling Research opened at UBC with specific goals: probe the psychology of gambling; help ‘problem gamblers’ mitigate or quit their addiction and enhance gaming policies.

Established with $2 million in funding from the B.C. government and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the Centre will operate with “complete academic independence” from BCLC, the government and the gambling industry.

As one of but a few such research hubs in the world, the Centre plans to literally get into the hearts and minds of gamblers. Its tools and facilities include a ‘casino lab’ complete with slot machines and other games, designed to measure players’ behavioural and physiological responses under controlled conditions. In conjunction with the UBC MRI Research Centre, players’ heart rates and brain responses will be measured, scanned and studied.

Other collaborations and partnerships are also being planned. En situ casino interviews with gamblers, recruiting problem gamblers as study subjects; with these and other tools, Clark’s team will study the motivations and mindsets that lead to problem gambling.