Promising Practices in the Prevention of Problem Gambling

Abstract

The purpose of the present paper is to provide guidance about promising practices in the prevention of problem gambling that derives from the comprehensive review of the evidence contained in Williams, West, & Simpson‟s (2007) “Prevention of Problem Gambling: A Comprehensive Review of the Evidence. While there are many different definitions of “best practice” (e.g., Kahan & Goodstadt, 2005), common to all is the notion that a best practice is a “technique with the greatest potential to produce the desired result”. One step removed is the notion of a “promising practice” – one that enjoys some measure of scientific support, but not to the standard of rigor that would be required for “best practice” designation. This report acknowledges that no true “best practices” exist in relation to the prevention of problem gambling, and limits its discussion to measures for which there is some level of encouraging empirical support.