Mohegan Tribe Partners with Yale to Combat Problem Gambling through Digital Therapy

The Mohegan Tribe has always been invested in supporting and developing health programs in Connecticut and this is just the newest addition to the list of their contributions. CBT is a very digital-friendly form of therapy, so there is great promise in this endeavor.

$2M For Developing Digital Psychological Therapy Tools

In the age of digitalization, all businesses are looking into ways to find more value by making the switch and expanding further and faster. Ever since online gaming and sports betting became legal in Connecticut, taking more preventative and therapeutic initiatives to combat problem gambling has become a new focal point for organizations such as the Connecticut Lottery and tribal casinos. For the Mohegan Tribe, this applies to finding ways to help the community and give back as Mohegan is looking at contributing $2 million to Yale University for developing a comprehensive approach to helping people combat problem gambling.

The money will be assimilated through the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and will be used to develop a new digital program for providing CBT services. On the user’s side, this will be the interface of a downloadable mobile app that provides the developed CBT tools to assist them. And, on the backend, this will be the work of Yale School of Medicine scientific staff and researchers who have been leading the way in digital healthcare tools for years.

Why Yale Is A Great Partner

Yale University and their School of Medicine in particular have been heavily focusing on research and development of digital-assisted or entirely computer-based therapeutic tools for treating substance abuse. Brian Kiluk, associate professor of psychiatry at YSM has commented that “using digital platforms such as mobile phones to provide treatment offers the potential to get help to more people.”

This approach applies not only to a specific tool but to the entire digital arsenal that YSM is looking at developing. Digital approaches to providing help allow for wider reach and potentially more people having access to much-needed medical help, and problem gambling is not an exception.

This makes Yale the perfect partner for Mohegan’s initiative and as Gov. Ned Lamont said in a public statement:

“As Connecticut took steps to modernize its gaming industry, I said repeatedly that we must also do more to combat problem gambling – and that’s precisely what this new initiative from the Mohegan Tribe and Yale will do.”

Gov. Ned Lamont

As per CDC Gaming Reports, Mohegan Tribe chairman James Gessner Jr. has also said that “This new partnership with Yale is the next frontier in promoting responsible gambling, and Yale [can] lead the way in supporting problem gambling programs in Connecticut and nationally.” Of course, this is one of many collaborations between Mohegan and Yale.

Previous Partnerships

The Mohegan Tribe has been looking for ways to help the community combat any possible negative effects since opening their first casino. That includes contributing almost $300,000 annually to the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, however, this Yale partnership is not the first in Mohegan’s history.

Back on May 17, 2021, Yale-New Haven Health (YNHHS) cut the ribbon on a new medical center in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Mohegan Tribe, headquartered on its reservation in Uncasville, partnered with YNHHS in 2019 and it took them two years to finish the work on the 8,500 sq. foot medical center further establishing Mohegan as a firm contributor to local healthcare improvements.