UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

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Editor's Introduction

As we all trudge through one of the busiest times of year – those few weeks after the New Year when everyone tries to catch up on everything that piled up during vacation time – we at the UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal are quite excited about a light at the end of the tunnel. I speak, of course, about the 16th International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking!

Launched in 1974, the ICGRT is the world’s largest and longest-standing gathering of its kind, and the place where thinkers from virtually every background convene to share their ideas and work on gambling. As always, we encourage “big thinking” and “out of the box” thinking, as we seek to put together a program that once again delivers on our friend and mentor Bill Eadington’s beautiful vision. I encourage you all to head back into our archives and read some of the beautiful tributes to Bill in our Spring 2013 issue. And I most certainly encourage you to attend the 16th ICGRT, taking place at the Mirage in Las Vegas, NV, from June 6-10, 2016. For more information, check out our website here: http://www.unlv.edu/igi/conference

In the spirit of both the conference and the GRRJ, the Fall 2015 issue contains topics spanning multiple disciplines and geographical locations.

Our lead article, from Dr. Chang Boon Patrick Lee, Dr. Heng Tang, and Dr. Wing Han Brenda Chan, from the University of Macao, seeks the youth perspective on online problem gambling help services. The authors collected data from Chinese undergraduates between the ages of 21 and 25, asking them to review examples of the various help websites that are available in Macao and Hong Kong, and provide feedback on the site content and their thoughts on how to improve the offerings. This article, which received highly positive feedback from GRRJ peer reviewers, summarizes recommendations on publicity, design, contents, and focus of these websites and emphasizes the need for trust, familiarity, and design components.

Next, Dr. Jessalynn Strauss continues her trend of publishing fascinating communications work with her historical review of social responsibility in the early stages of the Las Vegas casino industry. Dr. Strauss follows the history of this industry in Las Vegas through the city’s famed mobster period, noting how many of these characters built Las Vegas from a stopover town into the modern American city it is today.

In the last article in our Research section for this issue, Dr. Daniel Wann, Dr. Ryan Zapalac, Dr. Frederick Grieve, Dr. Julie Partridge, and Dr. Jason Lanter investigate possible changes in sports fandom that might results from changes in sport wagering law in the United States. Collecting data from 580 participants, the authors conclude that the expected impacts of legalized sports betting are small but overall positive in generating an increase in sports interest and consumption.

In this issue’s Review section, Hugo Luz dos Santos, Magistrate of the Public Prosecutor in Funchal, Portugal, offers his expert opinion on ambient intelligence in Macao SAR. Mr. Luz dos Santos focuses in particular on surveillance and big data capture, offering a unique look at privacy and legitimation of big data use within the legal framework of gaming and betting contracts in Macao.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue and look forward to seeing you at the 16th International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking!