The 5th Annual Alberta Conference on Gambling Research "Social and economic costs and benefits of gambling" took take place on Friday, April 21 & Saturday, April 22, 2006 at the Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta.

This international conference featured presentations from prominent economists and social scientists who have studied the social and economic impacts of gambling. It had three themes. 

1. The first was concerned with the METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES associated with Cost/Benefit Analyses (e.g., difficulties in quantifying social costs; degree to which impacts are specific to the form of gambling, etc.). 
   
2. The second addressed JURISDICTIONAL STUDIES OF COSTS/BENEFITS that have been done from around the world (e.g., Canada, U.S., Australia, etc.).
   
3. The third presented research that has studied the IMPACTS ON SPECIFIC SECTORS (e.g., Aboriginals, Government, Societal Values, Individual Communities, NonProfit Sector, Crime, etc.). 

The conference was of interest to government regulators, commercial gambling operators, economists, social scientists, treatment providers and gambling researchers.

The conference program was approved for 12 credit hours by the Canadian Problem Gambling Certification Board.