Key Takeaways
- Australia’s Southern Cross University has attracted a research grant of nearly $500k to research risks associated with social gaming.
- The study leader has previously published research on internet gambling which was quoted in the government’s study into gambling regulation in Australia.
- Social gaming regulation has is moving up regulator’s agendas but to date there has been little evidence to back up anecdotal evidence of risks.
Australia’s Southern Cross University has attracted a research grant of $456k from Gambling Research Australia to fund a two year study into any risks which may be associated with social gaming.
The study will be led by Dr Sally Gainsbury, who has stated that the effects of social casino games are unclear. She was the author of a 2011 paper “An Investigation of Internet Gambling in Australia,” which concluded that there was little difference in problem gambling between internet and live gamblers.
Her conclusions were presented as part of the “Review of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001,” which recommended legalizing online poker tournaments.
