The Rachel Volberg Papers (1976-2020) consist of research files, reports, project documentation, conference programs and papers, and professional correspondence created by Dr. Rachel Volberg during her 40-year career as a gambling researcher and president of Gemini Research. The materials document Volberg’s research on problem gambling, including the prevalence of problem gambling in various populations, and include meeting agendas, notes, correspondence, and final reports covering studies conducted primarily within the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One of the major studies documented in the collection is the Massachusetts Gaming Commission-funded Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA).
The Rachel Volberg Papers (1976-2020) consist of research files, reports, project documentation, conference programs and papers, and professional correspondence created by Dr. Rachel Volberg during her 40-year career as a gambling researcher and president of Gemini Research. The materials document Volberg’s research on problem gambling, including the prevalence of problem gambling in various populations, and include meeting agendas, notes, correspondence, and final reports covering studies conducted primarily within the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One of the major studies documented in the collection is the Massachusetts Gaming Commission-funded Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA).
Collection is open for research.
This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. Material in this collection may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives ([email protected]) for additional information.
Materials are arranged in the original order established by the creator, with the exception of the published reports, which are arranged alphabetically by country.
Dr. Rachel Volberg is a trained sociologist who has been conducting epidemiological research on gambling and problem gambling since 1985. She was the first researcher to receive funding from the United States National Institutes of Health to conduct studies on the prevalence of problem gambling in the country’s population. In her career spanning four decades, Volberg has directed or consulted on numerous studies in the United States and internationally, published extensively, and served as an advisor to governments and private sector organizations on gambling legalization, public policy strategies to support problem gamblers, and the epidemiology of problem gambling. Volberg served as the principal investigator on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission-funded Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) study from its inception in 2013 until its conclusion in 2025.
In addition to her work as a research professor, Volberg is the president and principal investigator of Gemini Research, a consulting firm that “specializes in managing and reporting on studies of gambling and problem gambling in the community.” In this capacity, Volberg has conducted research and published reports on behalf of state, provincial, and national government agencies around the world to investigate problem gambling in various populations.
As of 2026, Dr. Rachel Volberg is Professor Emerita of Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Sources:
Gemini Research. "About." Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.geminiresearch.com/about-3
University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Heath Sciences. "Rachel Volberg." Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/about/directory/rachel-volberg
Rachel Volberg Papers, 1976-2020. MS-01246. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Donated in 2026 by Rachel Volberg; accession number 2026-082.
In 2026, Landon Paljusaj accessioned and minimally processed the collection. The materials were rehoused into archival boxes according to the donor's provided inventory and descriptive information.
Administrative Information
Acquired by Kristian Taketomo, Curator for Gaming Collections, as part of UNLV Special Collections and Archives holdings on problem gambling. Approximately 2 linear feet of duplicate materials were discarded.
Some of the books and journals that were acquired as part of this collection have been separated and described individually in the University Libraries' catalog.