The College of Family and Consumer Sciences is hosting “Gambling and the Family,” a day-long conference today at the Scheman Building.

“Gambling is a phenomenon that has swept the country in the past decade … it has arrived with very little public scrutiny beyond economic impact studies,” said Beverly Crabtree, dean of the College of FCS.

The conference will focus on the results from a previous study that the college completed on the effects of gambling on Iowa families and communities.

“Our goal for the conference is not to take sides on the issue, but to increase the level of public dialogue surrounding it,” Crabtree said.

The study contained a family and consumer sciences poll, a survey of 600 randomly selected Iowans. The individuals surveyed shared their views on gambling and the family.

Glenn Roberts, a longtime head of The Iowa Poll at the Des Moines Register, conducted the poll.

Faculty members of the FCS will present the results from their Iowa-based research through numerous gambling related issues during the conference.

The topics include gambling and the elderly, college students and gambling, children and casinos, family finance and gambling, and the effects of gambling on tourism and small businesses.

Many representatives from agencies and organizations with an interest in gambling issues will discuss their views about gambling. The representatives include casino operators, family credit counselors, advocates for the elderly and recovering gambling addicts.

The issues will be represented during an interaction panel. A discussion panel will follow the information panel given by the representatives.

The conference is open to the public. Preregistration is required. The conference has a homepage located at: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfcs/gamble/brointro.html.