Browsing by Author "Smith, Garry J."

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12
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    Compulsive gambling : general issues, treatments and policy considerations
    (Alberta Lotteries and Gaming, 1992-02) Smith, Garry J.
    This consultant's report prepared for Alberta Lotteries led directly to the provincial government funding the 1994 Alberta problem gambling prevalence survey.
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    Emergent Clinical Issues in Problem Gambling
    (2010-04) Battersby, Malcolm; Casey, David; Currie, Shawn; Currie, Cheryl; el-Guebaly, Nady; Gainsbury, Sally; Gibbs Van Brunschot, Erin; Lobo, Daniela S. S.; MacKay, Terri-Lynn; Marshall, Liam E.; Nilsson, Thomas; Sévigny, Serge; Smith, Garry J.; Tavares, Hermano; Westphal, Jim; Williams, Rob; Zohar, Joseph
    The "Emergent Clinical Issues in Problem Gambling" conference took place Friday, April 9 & Saturday, April 10, 2010 at The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada. Presentation and discussion topics included competing perspectives on etiology and conceptualization of gambling disorders.
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    Examining police records to assess gambling impacts : a study of gambling-related crime in the City of Edmonton
    (Alberta Gaming Research Institute, 2003-03) Smith, Garry J.; Wynne, Harold J.; Hartnagel, Tim
    The present study expands on earlier efforts by providing an analysis of the relationship between crime and gambling in a major Canadian metropolitan area, the City of Edmonton. This report contains five major sections: First, we outline the role that gambling plays in Canada and the Province of Alberta; justify the need for the study; and present the background, purpose and goals of the project. Secondly, we survey the literature and review criminological theory pertinent to gambling-related crime. The methods and procedures used to gather and analyze the data are described in section three and, in section four; the results of the study are presented. Finally, in section five we draw conclusions from the findings and identify implications these findings have for government, law enforcement agencies and the community at large.
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    Factors Influencing the Development of Responsible Gambling: A Prospective Study (Update November 5th, 2004)
    (Alberta Gaming Research Institute, 2004-11-05) el-Guebaly, Nady; Hodgins, David C.; Smith, Garry J.; Williams, Robert J.; Williams, Vickii; Schopflocher, Don P.; Wood, Robert T.; Pickup, Mark
    Gambling is a normative activity in the Alberta population, with 82% of the adult population having gambled in the past year. Although the large majority of Albertans gamble responsibly, there is a small percentage that experience significant problems. The design of effective educational and legislative strategies to minimize the harm caused by gambling hinges on understanding the factors that promote responsible gambling and/or make people susceptible to problem gambling. Longitudinal studies are the optimal methodology for investigating such questions. This methodology has been used extensively and successfully in the fields of health, mental health, sociology and addiction. Unfortunately, there exist virtually no longitudinal studies of gambling. It is this important gap in the research literature that provided the impetus to assemble a cross-disciplinary and cross-university Alberta research team to develop the present proposal.
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    Gambling and crime in western Canada : exploring myth and reality
    (Canada West Foundation, 1999-09) Smith, Garry J.; Wynne, Harold J.
    The purpose of this project is to study the relationship between crime and gambling and to provide a preliminary review of the extent to which gambling in western Canada effects law enforcement agencies, provincial gaming regulatory bodies, and the criminal justice system. The investigation centres on three aspects of the gambling and crime nexus: (1) illegal gambling; (2) crimes associated with legal gambling; and (3) crime committed by problem / pathological gamblers.
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    Gambling and the Public Interest?
    (Canada West Foundation, 1997-11) Smith, Garry J.; Azmier, Jason J.; Canada West Foundation
    Gambling and the Public Interest? is the latest in a series of Canada West Foundation research reports on social policy topics.
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    Gambling attitudes and behavior of Albertans
    (Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, 1992) Smith, Garry J.
    This report provides an analysis of results from the 1992 Alberta Survey. It was a random sample, province-wide survey of Alberta adults, conducted by the Population Research Laboratory at the University of Alberta.
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    The Leisure, Lifestyle, & Lifecycle Project (LLLP): A Longitudinal Study of Gambling in Alberta. Final Report for the Alberta Gambling Research Institute
    (Alberta Gambling Research Institute, 2015-02) el-Guebaly, Nady; Casey, David M.; Currie, Shawn R.; Hodgins, David C.; Schopflocher, Don P.; Smith, Garry J.; Williams, Robert J.
    The Leisure, Lifestyle, and Lifecycle Project (LLLP) is a five-year prospective longitudinal study designed to collect data on the factors influencing change in gambling and problem gambling behavior over time. A sample of 1808 participants from four locations representing the diversity of the province of Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge area, and Grand Prairie area) were recruited primarily through random digit dialing. In order to assess the development of gambling problems over the lifespan, five critical age ranges were targeted: 13-15, 18-20, 23-25, 43-45 and 63-65 year-olds. Individuals with relatively heavy involvement with gambling were over sampled. A broad array of psychosocial variables was assessed at baseline via telephone, face-to-face and computer self-completion interviews. The sample was weighted to match the population of Alberta according to age, gender, geographic location and the over sampling procedure. The three follow-up interviews of the cohort were completed by paper- or Internet-based surveys. Retention in the fourth and final assessment was 76.2% for the adult cohorts, 71.8% for the adolescent cohort, and 75.1% for the combined cohort. Three primary questions directed this project: 1. What are the normal patterns of continuity and discontinuity in gambling and problem gambling behaviour? 2. What biopsychosocial variables and behaviour patterns are most predictive of current and future problem gambling? 3. What etiological model of problem gambling is best supported by the longitudinal findings? This report provides analyses of the adult sample and focuses primarily on the first two of the primary research questions above - specifically, on identifying variables that are robust predictors of future problem gambling onset, the stability of gambling problems over time, and the development of a multivariate model that illustrates the interaction of gambling behaviour and problem gambling over time. A tentative etiological model is also presented to address the last research question. The LLLP sample problem gambler prevalence at wave 1 was 4.7% (weighted prevalence 3.2%). A similar longitudinal study was conducted during the same time period in Ontario, namely the Quinte Longitudinal Study. A set of parallel analyses was conducted on the QLS dataset to identify findings that were robustly supported in both studies. The collective findings of the 8 LLLP and QLS studies represent the most comprehensive longitudinal analysis of gambling and problem gambling currently in the literature.
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    Measuring gambling and problem gambling in Alberta using the Canadian problem gambling index (CPGI) : final report
    (Alberta Gaming Research Institute, 2002-02) Smith, Garry J.; Wynne, Harold J.
    This study is funded by a research grant provided by the Alberta Gaming Research Institute and is the third study in eight years to survey adult Albertans gambling patterns and behaviours (Wynne, Smith, & Volberg, 1994; Wynne Resources, 1998). The focus of this research project is twofold; that is, to use the newly-minted CPGI to describe the gambling practices of adult Albertans and to gain insight into the extent of problem gambling behaviour in this population. The results are intended to serve as a baseline measure for future Alberta problem gambling prevalence research, and ultimately, it is envisaged that these comparable studies will feed into a database that profiles gambling and problem gambling behavior across Canada. The remainder of this chapter includes a brief update of changes to the Alberta legal gambling landscape since the 1998 study; it proceeds with a discussion of problem gambling as a public health issue, and concludes with an elaboration of the Measuring Problem Gambling in Canada project, which generated the CPGI.
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    A review of the gambling literature in the economic and policy domains
    (Alberta Gaming Research Institute, 2000-10) Smith, Garry J.; Wynne, Harold J.
    The Alberta Gaming Research Institute commissioned this literature review of the economics of gambling and government and industry gambling policy and practice. The review is designed to accomplish the following objectives: 1. To identify scholarly articles in academic journals, texts, and conference proceedings pertaining to (a) the economics of gambling, and (b) public and private sector gambling policy and practice. 2. To compile an electronic database to store the citations and, where available, the annotations of the identified references. 3. To provide a summary report that discusses the identified literature and highlights the contributions of Albertans to this field of endeavor. 4. To begin the process of generating interest and building capacity to conduct gambling-related research within the Alberta Gaming Research Institute. To complement this review of the scholarly literature, Dr. Peter Bowal and his University of Calgary colleague’s conducted a separate review and analysis of legal and government documents in the gambling policy domain. The results of the Bowal review are contained in a separate report.
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    Summary report : gambling and crime in Western Canada : exploring myth and reality
    (Canada West Foundation, 1999-09) Smith, Garry J.; Wynne, Harold J.; Canada West Foundation; Azmier, Jason J.
    This summary report was prepared by CWF Director of Gambling Studies Jason J. Azmier based on the document “Gambling and Crime in Western Canada: Exploring Myth and Reality” by Dr. Garry Smith of the University of Alberta and Dr. Harold Wynne of Wynne Resources.
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    VLT gambling in Alberta : a preliminary analysis : final report
    (Alberta Gaming Research Institute, 2004-01) Smith, Garry J.; Wynne, Harold J.
    This comprehensive research project traces the development of VLT gambling from its inception in the Province of Alberta in 1991 to the present, outlines the social and economic impacts of the activity, provides frequency of play, and expenditure and revenue data including on a community by community basis.