The Second Asia Pacific Conference on Gambling and Commercial Gaming Research took place December 1–4, 2013 in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. The conference was organized by the Asia Pacific Association for Gambling Studies (APAGS) and hosted by both I-Shou University and the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism. Caesars Entertainment and Konami Gaming, Inc. were the platinum sponsors and the Global Gaming Research Center was the silver sponsor. Also, this conference received financial support from the Taiwan Ministry of Education, the National Science Council, the Economic Development Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, and the Macao Social Welfare Bureau. The Lottery Research Center of China in Beijing Normal University was the associate sponsor.

At the conference, approximately 60 papers were presented and discussed. These papers covered nearly every aspect of gambling studies, including problem and responsible gambling, gaming business administration, decisions under uncertainty, gaming regulations and public policies, etc. More than 180 delegates from more than 10 countries and regions, such as Australia, Canada, UK, USA, Finland, Singapore, Korea, Japan, mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao attended the conference. A number of Taiwan officials and scholars attended the opening ceremony, conference dinner or Integrated Resort and Regional Economic Development Summit. These officials and scholars included Dr. Jei-Fu Shaw, President of I-Shou University, Mr. Chiang-Tung Pan, Vice-President of the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Ms. Hsien-Hui Liu, Deputy Director General of the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, and Dr. George Lin, Managing Partner of Lin & Partners.

Four invited professors delivered keynote speeches at the conference. Professor Cathy Hsu, from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, presented “Gaming Development in Taiwan”; Mr. Anthony Cabot, Adjunct Professor of the Boyd School of Law and William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Partner of Lewis and Roca LLP, USA, presented “Why gaming laws need to be crafted based on the unique policies, structure and capabilities of each jurisdiction”; Professor Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom, presented “The convergence of gambling and gaming addictions on the Internet”; and Professor Linda Hancock from Deakin University, Australia, presented “Transnational Macau Casinos: Their Framing and Operationalization of Responsible Gambling”. Also, a preconference workshop was offered to the conference delegates free of extra charge. It was titled “How to develop, implement and evaluate a prevention program for excessive gambling among youths and adults” by Dr. Robert Ladouceur, Professor Emeritus of Laval University, Canada.

With the generous support of Caesars Entertainment and Konami Gaming, Inc., APAGS was able to administer the best paper awards and conference student scholarships for this conference. The two best papers were: “A new perspective on weekend effect: Empirical evidence from the horserace betting market” by Ming-Chien Sung, University of Southampton, United Kingdom (coauthored with Johnnie E.V. Johnson, John Peirson, and Chung-Ching Tai); and “Poker players with experience and skill are not ‘ill’—Exposing a discrepancy in measures of problem gambling” by Jussi Palomaki from the University of Helsinki, Finland. Each of the presenters was awarded MOP (Macau Pataca) 10,000 (USD 1,250) in cash, and a certificate. The recipients of conference student scholarships were Ms. Mogu Shu and Juliet Chen, both from the University of Macau. They were awarded MOP 1,500 each in cash to partially cover their accommodation during the conference.

Bill Eadington, an economist who was one of the first academics to study gambling as both a force for economic development and a challenging social problem, passed away on February 11 this year in Crystal Bay, Nevada, at the age of 67. William Richard Eadington was born on January 1, 1946, in Fullerton, California, and grew up in nearby Brea. He received his bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics from Santa Clara University and was just 23 when he completed his course work for a doctorate in economics at Claremont Graduate School. In 2011 Professor Eadington was elected to the American Gaming Association’s Hall of Fame, a small and eclectic group that includes Wayne Newton, Donald J. Trump, and David Copperfield.

Professor Eadington had been an honorary president of the Asia Pacific Association of Gambling Studies (APAGS) since its inception in 2011. He made significant contributions to its initial development. For example, the title of its successful annual international conference (The Asia Pacific Conference on Gambling and Commercial Gaming Research) was coined by him. His contributions to the association will not be forgotten.

President Zhonglu Zeng and Director-General Guihai (Samuel) Huang sent a message of condolence to Ms. Eadington on February 16, 2013 on behalf of APAGS.

Notes: William Eadington, APAGS Honorary President, is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an internationally recognized authority on the legalization and regulation of commercial gambling, and has written extensively on issues relating to the economic and social impacts of commercial gaming.

Professor Eadington has served as the organizer of the 1st through 14th International Conferences on Gambling and Risk Taking between 1974 and 2009. He has edited or co-edited a variety of publications, including Optimal Play: Studies in the Mathematics of Games and Gambling (2007), The Downside: Problem and Pathological Gambling (2002), Finding the Edge: Mathematical Analysis of Casino Games (2000), The Business of Gaming: Economic and Management Issues (1999), Gambling: Public Policies and the Social Sciences (1997), Gambling Behavior and Problem Gambling (1993), Gambling and Commercial Gaming: Essays in Business, Economics, Philosophy and Science (1992), Tourism Alternatives (1992), Gambling and Public Policy: International Perspectives (1991), Indian Gaming and the Law (1990), and Gambling and Society (1976). He also has served as founder and co-moderator of the annual Executive Development Programs for Senior Level Casino Executives since 1991.

Dr. Eadington has served as a consultant and advisor for governments and private sector organizations throughout the world on issues related to gaming laws, casino operations, regulation, legalization, and public policy. He is a founding member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism and a former associate editor of the Annals of Tourism Research and the Journal of Gambling Studies.

Eadington has been with the University of Nevada since 1969. He has served as an Academic Visitor to the London School of Economics, as a Visiting Professor at the Center for Addiction Studies, Harvard Medical School, and as a Visiting Lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He also is on the faculty of the Centre for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Salford (U.K.). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Santa Clara University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Claremont Graduate School. In 2008, he was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration honoris causa by the University of Macau.