The evidence hasn’t kept up with the technology.

Modern gambling moves quickly. The systems we use to understand and respond to the evolving harm were never designed to keep pace. Longitudinal research studies take years to fund, plan, execute and publish. That means the most critical decisions about gambling regulation and support being made today – which programs to fund, services to offer, or what actually works – are decided using outdated data that no longer tells the whole story.

The evidence hasn’t kept up with the technology.

Several people using smartphones in a shared space

Lived experience should shape what we learn next.

The Evive Foundation bridges the gap between traditional research approaches and present-day lived experience, community knowledge, frontline observation and real-world signals from people working across the field. By gathering insight where it’s already showing up, and connecting signals that usually remain siloed, we can evolve our understanding faster and put that knowledge to work sooner.

Lived experience should shape what we learn next.

Traditional research alone isn’t enough.

Rigorous research is essential. But traditional studies can take years to fund, conduct and publish. During that time, gambling products, technology and patterns of harm continue to change.

Our goal isn’t to replace traditional research, but to open other, complementary doors that can help us start to build evidence sooner. That means recognizing credible signals earlier, bringing together knowledge from across the gambling ecosystem and using the right form of inquiry for the question at hand.

A single person moving through a crowded public space

Early warning signs are everywhere, but they aren’t connected.

People experiencing gambling harm don’t all show up to the same front door looking for help. The first signs of harm may appear in conversations with Family & Friends, primary care providers, financial counselors, community organizations, clinicians, gambling operators, regulators or platforms like Evive.

Each part of the system can see something. Too often, those signals remain separated. A pattern noticed in one setting may never reach the people responsible for research, prevention, regulation or support.

By the time a question enters a formal research agenda, people and communities may have been living with it for years.

Early warning signs are everywhere, but they aren’t connected.

By the time a question enters a formal research agenda, people and communities may have been living with it for years.

Early warning signs are everywhere, but they aren’t connected.

By the time a question enters a formal research agenda, people and communities may have been living with it for years.

Narrow inputs lead to narrow questions

When evidence comes primarily from traditional treatment settings, it reflects the relatively small group of people who reach those services. It tells us far less about the missing majority experiencing harm elsewhere.

For years, much of the field has focused on individual behavior: why someone gambles, why their gambling becomes harmful and why stopping can be difficult.

Those questions still matter, but they can’t explain the whole picture.

Modern gambling changed what surrounds the person. Access became constant. Products became faster and more personalized. Marketing became harder to avoid. The systems intended to prevent harm and provide support did not evolve at the same pace.

Better questions begin with more voices. People with lived experience, Family & Friends, community leaders and frontline professionals can help identify what existing evidence misses and define what meaningful change looks like in real life.

Four questions guide our work:

What changed when gambling moved into every pocket?

How are constant access, product design and personalized promotion changing who experiences harm, and how?

Who is the current response still missing?

Where are people experiencing harm outside traditional treatment, and what would make support easier to find and use?

What helps in real life?

Which forms of digital, peer, community and clinical support create meaningful change over time?

What evidence will help public systems act earlier?

What will move states, health systems, insurers and funders from recognizing gambling harm to supporting practical responses?

People and families are already living with the consequences of what we do not know.
When the research falls behind, support does too.

Two colleagues reviewing research together on a laptop

Building evidence means using every credible way of learning

Different questions call for different methods.

Some require long-term academic studies. Others can be investigated through applied research, participatory projects, community-based work, lived experience, frontline observation and real-world data.

We believe these approaches should work together. Early signals can identify an emerging question. Community-based work can test a practical response. Independent research can examine whether the results hold over time or across different populations.

This allows learning to begin sooner without lowering the standard for evidence. It also helps return useful knowledge to the people and communities who need it, while longer-term research continues.

Building evidence means using every credible way of learning

Different questions call for different methods.

This allows learning to begin sooner without lowering the standard for evidence. It also helps return useful knowledge to the people and communities who need it, while longer-term research continues.

Building evidence means using every credible way of learning

Different questions call for different methods.

This allows learning to begin sooner without lowering the standard for evidence. It also helps return useful knowledge to the people and communities who need it, while longer-term research continues.

The evidence hasn’t kept up with the technology.

The evidence hasn’t kept up with the technology.

The evidence hasn’t kept up with the technology.

Lived experience should shape what we learn next.

Lived experience should shape what we learn next.

Lived experience should shape what we learn next.

Traditional research alone isn’t enough.

Early warning signs are everywhere, but they aren’t connected.

Early warning signs are everywhere, but they aren’t connected.

Early warning signs are everywhere, but they aren’t connected.

Building evidence means using every credible way of learning

Building evidence means using every credible way of learning

Building evidence means using every credible way of learning

Your gift helps The Evive Foundation build evidence that drives the entire field from signal to action.

Your gift helps The Evive Foundation build evidence that drives the entire field from signal to action.

Your gift helps The Evive Foundation build evidence that drives the entire field from signal to action.