Alberta Gambling Research Institute marks a quarter century of studying gambling harm
Created after VLTs arrived in Alberta, the institute links researchers at three universities studying who is harmed by gambling and why.
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For about 25 years, the Alberta Gambling Research Institute (AGRI) has been looking at which forms of gambling cause the most harm, what drives problem gambling and which treatments work. A new profile in University Affairs looks at its work.
AGRI brings together researchers from the University of Lethbridge, the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta, who have completed hundreds of projects through the institute. Their work ranges from economics and neuroscience to addiction and prevention.
Born out of the VLT debate
The institute was created in 2000 in response to the arrival of video lottery terminals in Alberta. VLTs were introduced in the province in 1991, and there are now more than 6,000 of them.
Robert Williams, AGRI research coordinator and a professor in the University of Lethbridge's Faculty of Health Sciences, said the institute has studied the types of gambling that do the most harm, the causes of problem gambling, effective treatment and prevention, and wider social and economic effects.
In 2024-25, casinos produced the most gross gambling revenue in Alberta, at just over $1.3 billion. VLTs were second at about $537 million. The province's total gross gambling revenue was $2.5 billion.
Lower-risk guidelines
David Hodgins, AGRI's research coordinator at the University of Calgary, said fewer people are gambling and rates of gambling disorder are falling. About 0.6 per cent of the population struggles with problem gambling, according to the article.
Hodgins said impulsive people are somewhat more likely to become over-involved, and that gambling becomes a problem when people use it to "escape."
His team developed three public guidelines for lower-risk gambling: spend no more than one per cent of gross family income on it, take part in no more than two types of gambling, and gamble no more than once a week. Going past any of these limits raises the risk of harm, the researchers say.