Golf tournament raises $100,000 for problem gambling research

David Strow

Tuesday, May 9, 2000 | 10:11 a.m.

An estimated $100,000 was raised by the gaming industry last week in a Las Vegas golf tournament to help fund research into the causes of compulsive gambling.

Proceeds from the 2nd annual Gaming Golf Classic, held at the Tournament Players Club at the Canyons, will benefit the National Center for Responsible Gaming, based in Kansas City. About 130 people participated in the tournament, sponsored by the American Gaming Association and JCM American Corp. of Las Vegas.

JCM makes bill validators for slot machines and other devices.

"JCM is to be commended ... they really came up with this idea on their own," said Judy Patterson, executive director of the AGA. "They got such positive feedback that they made the commitment to do it again."

The proceeds were up about 34 percent from last year's inaugural tournament. The winning foursome was Joe Wilcock, Steve Mann, Scott Jenson and Pat McLaren, all from the MGM Grand. Post-tournament speakers included AGA President Frank Fahrenkopf and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

"It is very important for those who are in the gaming community to be responsible for their own market," said Gwen Mathis, marketing manager at JCM. "There are problems in any kind of business, and we'd be deluding ourselves if we said there weren't problems with gaming."

By participating in such efforts, gaming industry proponents can have "solid research" to refute attacks that the industry isn't doing enough to solve the issue of problem gambling, Patterson said.

"For too long, opponents of gaming were able to use myths and superstitions about this problem," Patterson said. "Without anyone else out there (conducting research), they (casino operators) really needed to do it. It really takes a collaboration to find solutions."

The center was founded through gaming industry donations in 1996. To date, the center has received about $7 million in donations from gaming industry sources, and has provided about $1 million a year in funding for research.

Industry officials point out that the process of awarding grants is handled by Harvard Medical School and isn't influenced by gaming officials.

One of the center's most prominent and controversial results came in 1997, when the center funded a study at Harvard Medical School's Division on Addictions. This study found that less than 2 percent of those that gamble suffer from problem gambling, a figure gaming industry opponents call far too low.

"The best part of studying a gaming environment is that you have subjects without other abuses," Mathis said. "So you can get down to the actual (chemical processes). Eventually, you can find a key to compulsive behavior ... and unlock the mystery as to why people do things that are self-destructive."

David Strow is a business and gaming writer for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4069 or by e-mail at strow@lasvegassun.com.