Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut to help fund Yale University problem gambling programme

The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut will contribute $2m to help Yale develop an app.

US.- The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut is partnering with Yale University to fund a new initiative aimed at combating problem gambling. This announcement comes seven months after sports betting went live in Connecticut amid reports that calls about problem gaming have risen sharply.

As part of the collaboration, the Mohegan Tribe will fund research at Yale University aimed at creating a cognitive behavioural therapy programme. Led by the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, that will aim to would expand treatment options for those with a gambling addiction. 

The funding would help Yale perform clinical trials and develop a mobile app for those who might not have access to in-person treatment. Mohegan has vowed to contribute $2m to the development of the app.

Yale School of Medicine associate professor of psychiatry Brian Kiluk said in a statement that the university has been a leader in creating effective computer-based therapy programmes to treat substance use disorders. The university is eager to use that experience to develop treatments for those suffering from problem gambling.

“Using digital platforms such as mobile phones to provide treatment offers the potential to get help to more people,” Kiluk said. “The hope is to identify effective new ways to expand access to treatment as easily and seamlessly as possible and provide a means to help improve the lives of people with gambling problems, their loved ones, and their communities.”

According to the press release, the funding comes in addition to the Tribe’s annual contribution of nearly $300,000 to the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

“This joint effort with Yale is the first of its kind. We recognize modernizing gaming comes with additional responsibility to our community and we have readily doubled down on our support to promote responsible gaming,” said Ray Pineault, president and CEO of Mohegan.