Rachel Volberg

Rachel Volberg

RAY-chul VOLE-berg
Research Professor of Epidemiology

Gambling, problem gambling, psychometrics, impact studies, cohort studies

Location

Arnold House

715 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003
United States

421 Arnold House

Rachel Volberg has been involved in epidemiological research on gambling and problem gambling since 1985. In 1988, Dr. Volberg was the first investigator to receive funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to study the prevalence of problem gambling in the general population. Dr. Volberg has directed or consulted on numerous studies internationally, published extensively, and advised governments and private sector organizations on issues relating to gambling legalization, the epidemiology of problem gambling and public policy approaches to developing and refining services for problem gamblers and their families. She is currently the Principal Investigator on a large, multidisciplinary study funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, titled "Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA),” that has been underway since 2013.

SEIGMA study website:

https://www.umass.edu/seigma/

Education

  • PhD, University of California, San Francisco, 1983
  • BA, University of California, San Diego, 1977
  • BCE (A level), Aiglon College, Chesières-Villars, Switzerland, 1972

Key Publications

Mazar, A., Williams, RJ., Stanek, EJ., Zorn, M., Volberg, RA. (2018). The importance of friends and family to recreational gambling, at-risk gambling, and problem gambling. BMC Public Health 18: 1080.

Binde, P., Romild, U., Volberg, RA. (2017). Forms of gambling, gambling involvement and problem gambling: Evidence from a Swedish population survey. International Gambling Studies 17 (3): 490-507.

Abbott, MW, Romild, U & Volberg, RA. (2014). Gambling and Problem Gambling in Sweden: Changes between 1998 and 2009.  Journal of Gambling Studies 30 (4): 985-999.

Williams, RJ & Volberg, RA. (2014).  The Classification Accuracy of Four Problem Gambling Assessment Instruments in Population Research.  International Gambling Studies 14 (1): 15-28.

Volberg, RA, Munck, IM, Petry, NM. (2011). A Quick and Simple Screening Method for Pathological and Problem Gamblers in Addiction Programs and Practices. American Journal on Addictions 20 (3): 220-227.

Volberg, RA & Wray, M. (2007). Legal Gambling and Problem Gambling as Mechanisms of Social Domination: Some Considerations for Future Research.  American Behavioral Scientist 51 (1): 56-85.