The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey’s (CCGNJ) Annual Conference on Disordered Gambling will take place on Friday, September 20, 2024, at the New Jersey Hospital Association, 760 Alexander Road, Princeton, NJ 08540. The 2024 Conference theme is “Betting on Change: Confronting the Surge in Problem Gambling.” The conference sessions will examine issues contributing to or arising from the state’s evolving and expanding gambling culture.
CCGNJ’s 800-GAMBLER Helpline has seen a 277 percent increase since sports betting was legalized in 2018.The conference keynote and the closing plenary session will explore different aspects of sports gambling. Another plenary session will cover the financial fallout of problem gambling and rebuilding financial stability, and a third will provide a personal and clinical exploration of a problem gambler’s path to recovery.
CCGNJ Board President Fred W. Hogan and Executive Director Felicia Grondin will open the conference and welcome attendees. In addition to registering to attend, individuals and organizations will have sponsorship and exhibit opportunities (see links below).
Following are the session titles and presenter information:
Keynote: “Sports Betting from the Front Line: Treating Sports Betting in a Clinical Practice,” presented by Jody Bechtold, LCSW, ICGC-II, BACC, and Rob Bumbaco LCSW, CMC. The keynote will explore the intersection of sports betting, athletes, and problem gambling, drawing upon current research and risk factors.
Plenary Session 1: “Using Financial Counseling to Address the Financial Harms of Problem Gambling Clients and their Families,” presented by Dr. Jessica Parks. This session will feature a discussion of the financial harms that befall problem gamblers and their loved ones, and how financial planning can help these individuals pay off their debt and return to financial well-being.
Plenary Session 2: “Breaking the Cycle: A Journey from Gambling Disorder to Lasting Recovery,” presented by Dr. Martz and Robert Minnick. This session combines the personal narrative of a recovering problem gambler and evidence-based research to clarify the complexities of disordered gambling and the path to recovery.
Plenary Session 3: “Unethical Play in Customer Acquisition by Sportsbooks,” presented by Dr. Daniel Ladik and Daniel Sartori of Seton Hall University. This session will identify how sports books entice new players with misleading promotions, targeted appeals and other strategies that, while legal, are in many cases unethical.
A limited number of scholarships to the conference will be offered.
