Social and Economic Impact of Gambling Research

The growth of gambling since the early 1990s has led to a significant demand from governments, the gaming industry, community groups and the public for reliable information on the positive and negative consequences of gambling for Canadians. In response to this demand, the Manitoba Gaming Control Commission (MGCC) partnered in 2004 with a national committee to oversee the development of a framework for measuring the social and economic impact of gambling (SEIG). The MGCC chairs this committee.

The committee released the SEIG Framework in February 2008. It reflects the interdisciplinary and complex nature of gambling research and provides a map for assessing the true impact of gambling consistently, objectively and from multiple perspectives. The framework was developed with expert input from a panel of internationally-renowned multidisciplinary researchers.

The national oversight committee is now involved in a new phase of this project, which involves a more detailed analysis of causality research and data required to sustain the SEIG Framework. The MGCC is continuing its leadership role in this new phase. The MGCC is also contributing to advancing the SEIG Framework by using this tool as the basis for assessing the impact attributable to the construction and operation of First Nations casinos in Manitoba; the first phase of this project is underway.

Links:

• Request for proposals: Social and Economic Impact of First Nations
  Casinos, Quantitative Impact Assessment (Closed)

• The Socio-Economic Impact of Gambling (SEIG) Framework (2008)
• Executive Summary
  
• Sommaire

• News Release: Interprovincial Group Releases Framework for Measuring Gambling’s Impact (February 5, 2008)