Problem Gamblers? Not because of the Internet

In 1999 there was a study done, known now as the “National Gambling Impact Study”, which came to the conclusion that “the high-speed instant gratification of Internet games and the high level of privacy they offer may exacerbate problem and pathological gambling”. But the real conclusion of this study might be made by looking at the board members that conducted the study.

The board members include some famous names or at least some famous titles. William Bible, is the first name up which many should know that he was the chairman for the State Gaming Control Board of the great state of Nevada. So why would you want to end Internet Gambling? Maybe to protect is job and to keep the Casinos in his state going strong.

Next name on the list is James Dobson, which is the founder of Focus on the Family. At the time of the study no one would think anything of Mr. Dobson but now you just need to mention Focus on the Family and you can clearly see the problem. Focus on the Family has been a staunch opponent of online gambling.
The last name to mention probably won’t mean a thing until the title is listed with his name. J. Terrence Lanni, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of MGM Grand. He joined MGM in 1995, which was four years before the study so we all know where his loyalty would remain.
Then there is the study conducted by The UK Gambling Commission called “British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007”, which comes up with much different results. They concluded that .6% of the adult population had a gambling problem which was the same in 1999. Which suggest that gambling problems did not increase in the 7 years between the studies, even though the growth of online gambling was exponential. Very interesting how the board of a committee can affect the results of a study!