Associate Professor Sally Gainsbury
University of Sydney
Research Field: Psychology
The internet provides many benefits but when it comes to gambling and gaming, the constant accessibility, ability to spend large sums of money quickly, and ongoing play online has resulted in some people developing serious problems.
As a leader in gambling psychology research, Associate Professor Sally Gainsbury is using science to inform responsible gambling strategies to promote healthy decision-making and reduce risk-taking.
A/Prof Sally Gainsbury investigates the psychology of addictive gambling and gaming, with a focus on the development of harm-minimisation strategies to prevent problems for vulnerable players, including young people.
There are a number of approaches in A/Prof Gainsbury’s research, including psychology, health sciences, public health, economics and business disciplines to investigate how gambling and gaming have been transformed by emerging technologies like internet gambling, online gaming, social media, blockchain, and virtual reality.
A/Prof Gainsbury is editor of an international peer-review journal, serves on three journal editorial boards and has participated in major conferences across four continents, including 10 keynote speeches, 33 plenary presentations and 19 plenary panels.
A/Prof Sally Gainsbury was awarded her PhD in 2010 by the University of Sydney and is currently Associate Professor, School of Psychology, and Co-Director, Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic at the University of Sydney.