Keynote speaker

Professor Alex Blaszczynski BA (Econ) (University of NSW), MA (University of Sydney), Dip Psych (University of Sydney), PhD (University of NSW), MAPS

Professor Alex Blaszczynski is the Professor of Psychology and currently Acting Head of the School of Psychology, University of Sydney, and a Co-Director of the University of Sydney’s Gambling Research Unit.  He is a researcher and clinical psychologist with a long history of involvement the treatment and clinical research of a range of impulse control disorders, in particular pathological gambling.  He currently holds a full-time academic appointment.

Professor Blaszczynski has published extensively on the topic of gambling, carried out randomized treatment outcomes studies using behavioural interventions, assessed the prevalence of depression and suicidality, the relationship between crime, gambling, and personality characteristics of impulsivity and sensation-seeking in pathological gamblers.  He has developed a conceptual pathways model explaining the aetiology of pathological gamblers, evaluated the impact of changes to the design of electronic gaming machines and in conjunction with collaborators from Harvard and Laval Universities, developed policy guidelines for the Australian Gaming Council.  He has authored or co-authored four books, written in excess of 170 scientific articles, reports and papers; conducted numerous training workshops; was chairman of the Working Party for the Australian Psychological Society and committee member of the Australian Medical Association’s position papers on problem gambling. He has held a number of research grants including a National Health and Medical Research Council, a Criminology Research Council of the Australian Institute of Criminology grant, and grants from the NSW Casino Community Benefit Fund and Queensland Treasury.

In addition to the psychology of gambling, Professor Blaszczynski has research and clinical interests in the treatment of sexual paraphilic behaviours. He developed and implemented the psychosexual treatment program for clergy and religious members on as a consultancy project for the Australian Catholic Church.

He is a founding member of the Australian National Council for Problem Gambling, the National Association for Gambling Studies, and a foundation director of the Australian Institute of Gambling Studies. He is on the Advisory Board, International Centre for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Youth Gambling Problems, McGill University, Canada, and International Advisory Committee member for the Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues and International Journal of Mental Health and Addictions.  He is the editor of International Gambling Studies, and regional assistant editor, Addictions. Professor Blaszczynski is undertaking collaborative research with the researchers at Laval, McGill and Rutgers Universities.

In 1995, Professor Blaszczynski was a co-recipient of the American Council of Problem Gambling Directors Award, and in 2004, the National Centre for Responsible Gambling senior investigator’s research award for his work in the field of pathological gambling.