Responsible gambling conference happening in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For the first time in decades, the National Conference on Gambling Addiction and Responsible Gambling is taking place in Columbus.
“It’s very helpful to know there's a bunch of eyes on a dilemma or a solution to find," Brian Ward, a member of the board of directors for the National Council on Problem Gambling, said.
He wears a lot of hats in the problem gambling world. In addition to being on the national council's board of directors, he's a recovery mentor and is in long-term recovery for a gambling disorder.
“For people considering it for the first time, I would just urge caution, that the tools and skills and all of the safety messaging they have, I don't disagree with the message of responsible gambling, but it needs to be taken very seriously," he said.
Ward is one of about 700 people who attended the conference. Ohioans have now been able to legally bet on sports for about two and a half years. One of the discussions Ward led was about the impact of sports betting could have on younger adults.
“The landscape has changed so much, and as we look at the most at-risk populations today it's really those 18 to 25-year-olds, where they were much older populations at risk in previous years," Problem Gambling Network of Ohio Executive Director Derek Longmeier said.
Another topic at the conference was artificial intelligence's role in gambling.
“There’s some things that can be done kind of from the scary side, but also from a really positive, helpful side, and using A.I. in order to help train clinicians and helpline professionals," Longmeier said.
During this year's conference, Longmeier was elected president of the National Council on Problem Gambling. He said the conference is a great chance for those working in the field in Ohio to learn from people around the country, like Ward, who's from Oregon.
"I think its always just amazing to bring together so many different individuals and this conference is unique that it's not just for clinicians or not just for prevention providers but we have treatment, we have prevention, we have those in recovery, we also have the responsible gambling folks from various gambling companies all coming together to learn together and to become better together," Longmeier said.