Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut pledges $2m to develop a safer gambling app
The pledge goes to Yale University to help develop the app for those who can’t access in-person treatment
Over the next five years, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut will pledge $2m (£1.59m) to Yale University to fund a new initiative to battle problem gambling.
This funding will help develop a mobile app which is aimed at treating those who have suffered gambling-related harm through a treatment method known as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
CBT is a form of talk therapy and deals with patterns of thinking and beliefs. The treatment helps people identify triggers for their problematic behaviour and develop ways to avoid those triggers from occurring.
This announcement comes seven months after the sports betting market in Connecticut went live and also comes after reports that calls about problem gambling have risen dramatically.
This partnership is not only the time these two organizations have come together.
Last year, Yale and the tribe partnered to open the Uncasville Medical Center at Mohegan Sun, a clinic that serves the tribe’s members, employees, and the public. The center was also used as a mass vaccination center for Covid-19, as well as a testing facility during the pandemic.
Brian Kiluk, associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, said: “Using digital platforms, such as mobile phones to provide treatment offers the potential to get help to more people.
“The hope is to identify 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.”
Ray Pineault, president and chief executive officer of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, added: “This will revolutionize the treatment of problem gambling. This joint effort with Yale is the first of its kind.
“We recognize that modernizing gaming comes with additional responsibility to our community and we have readily doubled down on our support to promote responsible gaming,” Pineault added.
The funding pledged by the tribe comes in addition to Mohegan’s annual contribution of close to $300,000 to the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.