NAGS is excited to announce that Dr Michael J. A. Wohl, Professor and Graduate Chair, Department of Psychology at

Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada has accepted our invitation to be our international keynote speaker at this year's Conference.

Michael will be presenting on

 Betting on Self-Worth: The Influence of a Financially Focused Self-Concept on the Development and   Maintenance of Problematic Gambling

The role of money and the allure of financial success has traditionally been underplayed as a pathway to disordered gambling in the field of gambling studies. My colleagues and I have developed and tested the idea that a financially focused self-concept (i.e., the belief that one's value as a person depends on how much money they possess) plays a pernicious role in the development and maintenance of gambling problems, independent of known etiological and maintenance factors. In this keynote, I will discuss the growing body of work we have conducted that explores when and why overvaluing financial success for one’s self-worth places those who gamble at considerable risk of developing a gambling disorder. 

Work in his Carleton University Gambling Laboratory (CUGL) focuses on, among other things, factors that predict disordered gambling (e.g., erroneous beliefs, financial focus), facilitators of responsible gambling (e.g., monetary limit setting and adherence), and the relation between nostalgia (i.e., sentimental longing) and cessation of disordered gambling as well as recovery. Members of CUGL also examine the influence of rewards program membership on a player’s attitudes and behaviours.

Dr. Wohl has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers. He is the receipt of, among other recognitions, International Center for Responsible Gambling’s Research Achievement Award, National Council on Problem Gambling’s Research of the Year Award, and Carleton University’s Research Excellence Award. To facilitate his gambling research, Wohl has received research funding from national and international organizations including, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Gambling Research Exchange, International Center for Responsible Gambling, and Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.