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| Dr. Bo Bernhard |
Las Vegas, Nevada is well known for its high-stakes gaming culture, and this is a culture Dr. Bo Bernhard knows a thing or two about. He’s been researching the impacts of gambling in the state of Nevada for years, where problem gambling runs rampant. Still, the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas follows closely behind, with Bernhard at the helm – he’ll share some of his insights and research at the National Conference on Problem Gambling this July.
This research and analysis that first began at Harvard University 15 years ago was soon expanded to a worldwide view, with Bernhard, director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute, reaching people on six continents. His research has not only been published in numerous business and social sciences journals, it has garnered several awards, as well—the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling’s Bybee Award, the Boyd Distinguished Research Professorship, and a Brookings Institution Lincy Fellowship. On top of all this, Bernhard is editor of a peer-reviewed journal – Gaming Research and Review.
Bernhard, along with eight research assistants at the UNLV Institute, has spent the past two years analyzing problem gambling around the world—they refer to it as a “global scan,” a “glocal” approach. More than 75 unique jurisdictions were studied—from Alabama (where Bernhard says illegal bingo machines have proliferated, leading to widespread concerns about social impacts) to Zurich (where European Union exceptions allow the gaming industry to operate, with significant concessions for problem gambling and social programs). As the world and technology continue to evolve, people have access to more ways of gambling than ever before.
Problem gambling has grown as rapidly as the globalizing gaming industry, the research finds, and its impacts are as different for each locale as the cultures surrounding them. So as one may surmise, a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with problem gambling just won’t cut it. Bernhard sees a more creative and innovative approach to dealing with the issue as the best road to take.
Bernhard and two members of his research team, Brett Abarbanel and Kahlil Philander, want to share findings and analysis of the UNLV International Gaming Institute Global Problem Gambling Scan in a conference with those who could ultimately make the biggest impact in handling problem gambling—from recovering gamblers and their family members to counselors and clinicians; from legislators and policy makers to fellow researchers and the media. Presenting the information in a beginner training format, participants will learn to understand and incorporate varied anthropological and cultural perspectives into their own work, recognize compelling international approaches to problem gambling, and come to understand micro-macro-meso approaches to the social sciences.
Want to learn more? Contact Dr. Bernhard at the International Gaming Institute at UNLV – bo.bernhard@unlv.edu; (702) 340-2508; 4505 S. Maryland Parkway/Box 456037, Las Vegas, NV 89154.
