Techlink Entertainment Launches World-First Research Advisory Board
October 25, 2011 – Sydney, NS: Techlink is launching a new Research Advisory Board to help the company continue its leadership as the top responsible gambling technology company in the world.
“We are committed to being the best in the world and this exciting new Responsible Gambling Research Advisory Board will help make sure we are transparent, accountable, responsible and make business decisions based on the best possible research,” says John Xidos, President and CEO of Techlink.
Techlink’s Research Advisory Board will begin operating on January 1, 2012. The Board will be chaired by Dr. Bo Bernhard and its members will include four of the top gambling researchers in the world.
Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D. is an honours graduate of Harvard University, where he double majored in sociology and psychology. His final undergraduate thesis (on the social impacts of gambling in Las Vegas) received magna cum laude honours from both departments. This thesis led him to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he received his Ph.D. in sociology in 2002. A frequent lecturer on the impacts of the gaming industry in communities around the world, he has delivered more than four dozen keynote addresses on six continents. In addition, he has conducted gaming policy advisory work in Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, Russia, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and a number of U.S. jurisdictions. Dr. Bernhard currently holds professorships in UNLV’s departments of sociology and hotel management, and serves as Executive Director of the University’s International Gaming Institute.
“This Board brings together the expertise of dynamic academic leaders in a rapidly globalizing gambling research world, thereby ensuring comprehensive and thoughtful coverage of the most important issues that arise in key international settings. Techlink is to be commended for taking this world-first and extraordinary step to ensure that responsibility takes center stage in all of the company’s decisions and products,” says Dr. Bernhard.
The Board’s members include:
Jeffrey L. Derevensky, Ph.D.
Dr. Derevensky is a Professor and Director of Clinical Training in School/Applied Child Psychology, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Professor, Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. He is a member of the National Centre for Gambling Studies, University of Alberta; National Network on Gambling Issues and Research, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; and has consulted governments throughout the world on responsible gambling practices. He is a member of the scientific advisory committees for the National Center for Responsible Gaming, the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, and for the Ministry of Health in Singapore. Dr. Derevensky is a member of numerous editorial boards and is the co-director of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University.
Dr. Sally Gainsbury, PhD, Doctor.ClinPsych, BPsych (Hons)
Dr. Gainsbury is a highly qualified Clinical Psychologist and researcher. She holds a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Gambling Education and Research, Southern Cross University, and is a research affiliate in the School of Psychology, University of Sydney. Dr. Gainsbury has been awarded numerous research grants in Australia, Canada, the UK and Europe and published many articles and reports in the gambling field. She is Associate Editor for the academic journal International Gambling Studies. Her research has focussed on responsible gambling strategies, Internet gambling, youth, and Internet treatment options. Dr. Gainsbury is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences and interviewed by the media and has been invited to make recommendations to gambling policy makers and operators in Australia, Canada and the UK. Her research on harm-minimisation strategies has been recommended by the Australian Productivity Commission and proposed for implementation on electronic gaming machines and Internet gambling sites in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Similarly, her research on Internet-based treatment options for problem gambling and addictions has been influential in guiding the development of online treatment programs in Australia and Canada, among other international jurisdictions.
Richard T.A. Wood, Ph.D. C. Psychol
Dr. Wood is a chartered psychologist who specializes in the study of gaming behavior. He is the director of GamRes Limited, an independent international research and consultancy company designed to help develop and implement responsible gaming initiatives by putting research into practice. Dr. Wood has published numerous gambling related articles, presented his findings at conferences and seminars around the world and undertaken many responsible gaming consultations for the gaming industry and regulatory sectors. His research focuses on developing effective responsible gaming strategies; in particular he investigates both the individual causes of problem gambling as well as the structural characteristics of games that can influence the gambling behavior of vulnerable players. He has developed cutting edge responsible gaming tools such as GAM-GaRD, an innovative guide that informs the development of socially responsible game design, as well as GamTalk, designed to provide free online support for people with all levels of gambling related issues (www.GamTalk.org).
In addition, the Board will have one honorary member:
Desmond Lam, Ph.D.
Dr. Lam is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Macau. He holds a Ph.D. (Marketing) from the University of Western Australia and an MBA from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Lam has written extensively on gaming-related issues for academic journals and trade publications worldwide. His main research interest lies in the understanding of gaming psychology and behavior, with expertise in Chinese gaming history, culture, management, and policies. He also has a keen interest in issues relating to cross-cultural decision making process and customer loyalty behavior. He is one of the judges for the International Gaming Awards and an editorial board member for the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. Dr. Lam is frequently interviewed by media regarding Chinese gaming issues. Throughout his career, he has taught in Australia, Macau, Malaysia, and Singapore and conducted numerous courses including Chinese gaming culture, casino management, events marketing and management, public relations, marketing strategy, advanced marketing management, and Internet marketing.
“The tremendous expertise brought by these board members will take our company’s commitment to responsible gambling to the highest possible level. We look forward to their innovative ideas, research-based advice and challenging input. This will ensure we continue to break new ground and lead the way in best-practices,” says Mr. Xidos.
Techlink is a turnkey gaming technology solutions provider based in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. The company is globally recognized for pioneering responsible gambling tools and open-design products that are evolving the gaming industry. It is the only company in the world that currently has card-based responsible gambling tools operating on a traditional wide-area VLT network to let players set limits and manage their gambling.
Media Contact:
Deb MacPherson
dmacpherson@techlinkentertainment.com
(902) 562-6031
