Our research agenda

Research plays an important role in addressing gambling harm in NSW. We commission and fund research to build an evidence-base for gambling harm minimisation that:

• informs improvements to policy and regulation

• evaluates and guides improvements to programs and support

• contributes to an informed public debate on gambling harm, increasing community awareness and understanding

• anticipates and keeps pace with emerging trends.

The Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF) Research Agenda guides all our research and aligns with the Office of Responsible Gambling 2021-2024 strategic plan.

How we developed our research agenda

We consulted researchers, counsellors, policy makers and industry representatives to seek their views on research priorities for 2021-2024.  We then worked with our RGF Trustees to develop our 3-year agenda.

Our Research Agenda 2021–2024 themes

 For 2021–2024 our priority research themes are:

• individual and community level gambling harm minimisation
• regulation of gambling products, practices and environments
• gambling among vulnerable groups
• emerging technologies and new trends
• measuring and understanding gambling prevalence and harm
• efficacy and effectiveness of treatment.

We also focus on:

• building capability and capacity for rigorous academic gambling research in Australia
• translating gambling research findings into accessible insights, practical resources and applications to improve gambling harm-minimisation practices and contribute to policy and regulatory considerations.

Our research agenda in action

Each year we put our research agenda into action by developing an annual research plan, outlining projects that are to be commissioned in the coming year that will contribute to our objectives and align with our research priorities.

We encourage a wide range of research activities, including:

• literature reviews
• academic and applied research projects
• data analysis and data linkage studies
• pilots and trials to test feasibility
• evaluations of programs and services.