Safer Gambling Strategic Frameworks to Drive Collaborative and Coordinated Evidence-Based Action

Session Title

Session 1-4-A: Collaborating among Problem Gambling Stakeholders

Presenters

Elizabeth LuskFollow
Jess VollFollow
Lindsay KalbfleischFollow

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation

Location

Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV

Start Date

23-5-2023 3:45 PM

End Date

23-5-2023 5:15 PM

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Reducing gambling-related harms at community, regional, national, and global levels requires evidence-informed, collaborative, and coordinated actions. Safer gambling strategic frameworks can identify and align stakeholders’ efforts to inspire and guide action. This is particularly salient with gambling being increasingly borderless with the proliferation of online gambling products and platforms. In the absence of safer gambling strategic frameworks, stakeholders’ efforts can be inconsistent or misguided, preventative opportunities are missed, social and economic costs are under accounted, and a competitive environment emerges when supportive and reifying efforts are more optimal. Safer gambling strategic frameworks create a rubric to continuously integrate emerging evidence, identify critical needs and gaps, and to strengthen our assessment of intended and unintended impacts in a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment. By engaging stakeholders to organize and prioritize evidence-based action—safer gambling strategic frameworks can guide tactical decisions for programs, policies, and practices across several stakeholders and mobilize collaborative efforts. Case studies illustrating best practices in developing safer gambling strategic frameworks will be shared to highlight some of the ways Greo has worked with stakeholders to strengthen the coordinated delivery of a suite of initiatives that work together to achieve evidence-based impact and reduce harms related to gambling.

Keywords

Safer gambling; strategic frameworks; collaboration; knowledge translation

Author Bios

As Chief Strategy Officer, Elizabeth Lusk works with Greo’s stakeholders to understand their knowledge needs and context to determine strategic approaches that improve outcomes like reduced harm from gambling. She is among Canada’s leading Knowledge Mobilization professionals with over 15 years of experience working on public health issues including cannabis, substance use, domestic violence, and gambling. Before Greo, Elizabeth partnered with health and social service organizations to strengthen evidence-based programs as Managing Partner of Gestalt Collective.

Jess Voll leads Greo’s evaluation team, who help clients foster evaluative thinking, design, and implement health promotion initiatives, and measure the impact of their work. She holds a Masters in Public Health, a diploma in Health Services and Policy Research, a certificate in Evaluation, and is a candidate for a Masters in Health Evaluation. She is also a Credentialed Evaluator through the Canadian Evaluation Society.

Lindsay Kalbfleisch, Greo’s Stakeholder Engagement Lead, facilitates the development of knowledge products, strategies, and learning events that mobilize research and evaluation into evidence-based action. Lindsay has nearly a decade of research and knowledge translation experience related to leisure and wellbeing, and over the past five years has worked with safer gambling stakeholders internationally to support evidence-based policy and practice.

Funding Sources

There are no funding sources associated with this submission.

Competing Interests

Greo has received funds in the last three years from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (Canada), social responsibility arms of Canadian crown corporations with responsibility to conduct and manage gambling, non-profits, charities, and post-secondary institutions (Canada), New Zealand Ministry of Health, regulatory settlement funds (Great Britain), third-sector charities (Great Britain), and other international regulators.