The Better Gambling Forum (BGF), a Brain Capital Alliance-led platform for coordinated, evidence-based global responses against gambling-caused mental health problems, announced the creation of its Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC).
The SOC Will Field a Team of Industry Experts
According to the announcement, the SOC is composed of experts in a variety of fields, including public health, addiction science, and gambling understanding. The committee will leverage this experience to enhance the BGF’s research and policy initiatives, ensuring that they are steeped in evidence and in line with the highest scientific integrity standards.
The BGF further explained that the SOC has final approval authority over all research-related deliverables. Its responsibilities will be to review and approve research outputs, ensure alignment with the best industry practices, identify research gaps and make research recommendations, and serve as a “safeguard against bias.”
In its announcement, the forum confirmed the following as the members of its SOC:
- Debi LaPlante, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, US
- James Whelan, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Memphis, US
- Josh Grubbs, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico, US
- Judith Glynn, PhD, head of responsible gambling education and policy at the University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar
- Marilisa Boffo, PhD, associate professor in clinical psychology and digital behavioral health at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Michael Wohl, PhD, professor of psychology at Carleton University, Canada
- Sally Gainsbury, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Sydney, Australia
- Serena King, PhD, professor of psychology at Hamline University, US
With a team of experts from all over the world, the SOC is poised to strengthen the forum’s understanding of gambling problems and promote safer gambling best practices. Additionally, the creation of the SOC aligns with the BGF’s multi-stakeholder governance model, which seeks to ensure a variety of perspectives, providing a deep understanding of the global gaming ecosystem as a whole.
BGF Members Hailed the SOC
Representatives cheered the creation of the new committee, which will further the organization’s initiatives. Travis Sztainert, a member of the BGF steering committee, said that the SOC brings together “world-class expertise in gambling research,” setting the gold standard in the sector.
Having them [the SOC members] independently oversee our work gives the Better Gambling Forum credibility and rigor, ensuring that any recommendations for responsible gambling policy or practice are grounded in the best evidence available.
Travis Sztainert, steering committee member, BGF
Shawn Fluharty, chair of the BGF steering committee, was similarly pleased with the creation of the SOC, saying that it will play a “critical role” in developing a “comprehensive, evidence-based framework that genuinely protects players and communities worldwide.”