In an effort to encourage responsible gambling, a Canadian based Factz Research Institute has lately hooked up with the national Council on Problem Gambling. Led by Dr. Jaime Wiebe, president of the Canadian research institute, the mission that she wishes to accomplish along with her colleagues is the development of an effective industry-wide approach to problem gambling prevention and education.
Dr. Wiebe admits that internet gambling has been a difficult area to research until now: "Internet gambling is problematic because it is isolated and available 24 hours a day. Young adults, who are drawn to this, have the greatest probability of developing a problem. With the help of the net we will be able to implement safeguards and additional information about recognizing when you have a problem and where to get help".
Wiebe has researched the gambling industry and problem gambling for 10 years but she emphasizes that the upcoming research is not to examine the problems caused by online gambling. According to Wiebe, "it is a study to learn about player practices, perceptions and needs regarding player protection strategies in order to assist people who have a problem controlling their online gambling.
The research will include many types of gambling and cover the global industry. Wiebe looks to collect data concerning gambling patterns of internet players, frequency and duration of play, the behaviors and the consequences of uncontrolled gambling. She also seeks to raise the awareness to the available information about safe gambling.
Ultimately, the project wishes to benefit the players as well as the operators because the common belief is that anyone involved in gambling, needs to do so responsibly. The research team hopes that the results of this study can further assist organizations and possibly policymakers in designing prevention and education services to aid problem gamblers.