Kung Fu Mahjong
The second movie we watched in the CGR film series was a Cantonese comedy, Kung Fu Mahjong. When I was asked to choose a gambling movie, several Mahjong movies came to my mind, largely due to the influence that the game has in the culture I grew up in. I settled for Kung Fu Mahjong […]
Learn more about our research
The scientific study of the psychology and the neuroscience of gambling games and problem gamblers. Photo: Martin Dee
New facial EMG papers
Yin Wu, a final year phd student working with Luke Clark in Cambridge, has had two papers published this month back to back in the journal Psychophysiology. The first study is looking at facial muscle responses to near-misses. The classic gambling near-miss is strictly a ‘near win’, but using a wheel of fortune task, Yin’s […]
Losses Disguised as Wins
The November issue of Addiction includes an important new paper by Mike Dixon and colleagues (U Waterloo) showing for the first time that problem gamblers may be more sensitive to ‘losses disguised as wins’ in multi-line slot machines. These are events where the win does not cover the initial wager, but the machine nevertheless responds […]
New paper on behavioural addictions
Luke has a new review article in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science ‘Addiction Reviews’ issue. The basic premise is: if drugs of abuse are so powerful at hijacking the natural reward system, then how can behavioural addictions come to exist? The article focusses mainly on problem gambling, but also considers application […]
CGR down under
Luke Clark is in Australia this week, speaking at the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation ‘Many ways to help’ conference in Melbourne, and a special workshop on ‘Gambling and Neuroscience’. Great program: http://www.responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/for-professionals/conference/program
21
“Gambling in the Movies” is a new blog series at the CGR in which we will revisit some essential gambling movies, and discuss their portrayal of gambling, gamblers and games of chance. If any readers have recommendations for films, then please let us know! Having been given the first choice of gambling flicks, I chose the […]
Gambling in the movies…
Over the next few months, CGR are going to revisit some classic gambling films. We’ll look at how the media portrayal of gambling has changed over time, the relationship between gambling and addiction, and the extent to which these films provide any true insights into the psychology of the gambler. And yes, it’s also a […]
Engaging with BC mental health societies
Luke Clark will present next week at the annual meetings of the Catholic Health Association of BC (18 Sept) and the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division (19 Sept). He will speak on the psychology of gambling addiction and the research agenda for the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC.
Welcome to new CGR graduate students!
We’re delighted to welcome Stephanie Chu and Spencer Murch as the first graduate students based at the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC. In October, Juliette Tobias-Webb will also be joining us for one year as a visiting student from the University of Cambridge.