Dr. Marilisa Boffo, Erasmus University Rotterdam, has been awarded a Large Grant of 172.500 USD from the International Center of Responsible Gaming (USA). This prestigious grant supports her pioneering project "A Safe Bet: design and evaluation of a player-tailored online responsible gambling promotion framework," which aims to revolutionize online responsible gambling through a unique blend of behavioral science, digital design, and artificial intelligence.
"Safe Bet" is an ambitious project started in 2022 that seeks to design and evaluate an innovative framework for online responsible gambling. The initiative is groundbreaking in its approach, combining insights from the gambling research literature with a human-centered design approach to develop novel responsible gambling tools. The goal is to support gamblers in maintaining sustainable gambling behaviors, preserving their play experience without compromising their well-being and preventing escalation into risky behaviors. An innovative feature is the engagement of all gamblers with player safety promotion by reducing the barriers to utilize players’ protection tools, as well as offering targeted interventions aimed at harm reduction to at-risk gamblers.
The project stands out for its collaborative nature. It involves a partnership with two gambling operators (Playtech and Holland Casino Online), responsible gambling expert Prof. Dr. Michael Wohl (Carleton University, Canada), and active participation from gamblers themselves, who are regarded as experts in shaping the project and are directly involved in designing responsible gambling tools. This inclusive approach ensures that the interventions and responsible gambling strategies developed are finely tuned to the specific needs and preferences of gamblers.
Marilisa Boffo expresses her enthusiasm: "This grant marks a significant milestone in our efforts to promote sustainable gambling practices. By integrating behavioral insights with technological innovation, we are not just creating a framework for responsible gambling, but we are also empowering gamblers to make informed choices. Our collaboration with industry partners and gamblers themselves is key to the success of this project."
About the International Center of Responsible Gaming
The International Center of Responsible Gaming is a world-leading organization dedicated to funding research that enhances responsible gambling practices globally. Their Large Grant funding scheme has supported many high quality and impactful scientific research in the past 25 years, supporting the growth of both fundamental and applied scientific research in gambling behaviour.
About Marilisa Boffo
Dr. Marilisa Boffo is an associate professor working at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences with a specialized focus on addiction studies and the evidence-based design of (digital) behavior change interventions. Her research is innovative both in the contents and approach. The focus on online responsible gambling promotion brings together her expertise in addiction disorders and digital behavioral health, with the mission of supporting sustainable healthy behaviors and improving the lives of individuals affected by gambling issues.
- Researcher
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Marjolein Kooistra, communications ESSB | 06 83676038 | kooistra@essb.nl
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