VANCOUVER – Luke Clark was named Tuesday as the inaugural director of the Centre for Gambling Research at the University of B.C. The centre was established last February with a $2-million grant from the B.C. Lottery Corp. and the provincial government. Considered a global expert in the psychology of gambling, Clark has studied the distorted thinking that takes place while gambling, and how near-misses increase the desire to keep playing. Appointed as a faculty member at the University of Cambridge in 2007, Clark has worked closely with the U.K.’s National Problem Gambling Clinic since 2010. He starts in his post at UBC in July. The interview took place during the New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre.