Responsible gambling & drinking: What is “Responsibility” and the role of different stakeholders, including the operators and the consumers

During this presentation, we will closely examine the notion of “Responsibility” and its different implications for Responsible Gambling and Drinking.   An operational definition of Responsibility will be suggested and the various impacts on consumers’ and patrons’ activities.  Furthermore, we will consider some of the complex value judgments and related conceptual difficulties that underpin attempts to promote “Responsible Gambling”.  Finally, the role of responsibility for different stakeholders such as operators, regulators, consumers, etc. will be examined.  The conclusion will sort out the importance of including the notion of “Responsibility” in the understanding, prevention and treatment of gambling and drinking behaviours.

Professor Robert Ladouceur, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Laval University, Canada.  He is a pioneer in the field of Gambling research. His scientific production in the field of Gambling includes 175 scientific publications in peer review journal, made 250 presentations and published 5 books, some has been translated in Italian, Spanish, and Chinese.  His cognitive treatment for pathological gamblers developed at Laval University is widely used around the world.  He set up the Centre Québécois d’Excellence pour la Prévention et le Traitement du Jeu.  This research Center made many major contributions in the domain of gambling. (experimental, prevalence, prevention, treatment and responsible gambling). His books written with Stella Lachance entitled ‘Over coming pathological Gambling” a therapist and client guides was published by Oxford press in 2007 and is used around the world.