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A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Williams spent the first 15 years of his career as the regional psychologist for northern Manitoba and then as a clinician in the Addiction Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Since 2001 he has been an academic at the Ãâ·Ñ¸£Àû×ÊÔ´ÔÚÏß¿´Æ¬ of Lethbridge in Alberta, where he is a full professor in the Addiction and Mental Health Program in the Faculty of Health Sciences, as well as a Research Coordinator with the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.

Professional Experience

Dr. Williams has published in the areas of substance use and addictions, behavioural addictions, fetal alcohol syndrome, statistical analysis, financial speculation, seasonal affective disorder, evolutionary theory, biofeedback, and gambling. For the past 25 years most of his work has focused on gambling, where he is an internationally recognized expert. Dr. Williams provides frequent consultation to government, industry, and the media; and has often provided expert witness testimony on the impacts of gambling.

Areas of Specialization:

Dr. Williams is a leading authority in the areas of: prevention of problem gambling; online gambling; the socioeconomic impacts of gambling, the proportion of gambling revenue deriving from problem gamblers; the prevalence and nature of gambling within Indigenous communities; the etiology of problem gambling; and best practices in the population assessment of problem gambling. Of recent note, Dr. Williams led the first national study of gambling in Canada (2018-2023) (AGRI National Project -1) as well as a follow-up in 2024-2028 (AGRI National Project – 2).

Current and Recent Grants

Over the course of his career, Dr. Williams has received $41,211,397 CAD as Principal Investigator and $2,125,251 CAD as Co-Investigator. Some include: 

• The Impact of Regulatory Change on Gambling Behaviour and Harm in Canada: A Longitudinal Comparative Study of Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. Williams, R.J., Allami, Y., & Obeya, F.A. Co-Principal Investigator on $159,782 from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. December 1, 2025 – November 30, 2027.
• A Longitudinal Study of Sports Betting and Problem Gambling among a Nationally Stratified Sample of Canadian Adults who Gamble. McGrath, D., Kim, H.S., Williams, R.J., Keough, M., Grubbs, J., & Snaychuk, L. Co-Investigator on $146,364 from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2027.
• AGRI National Project - 2 (ANP-2). Williams, R.J., Allami, Y., Christensen, D.R., Hodgins, D.H., Kim, H.S., McGrath, D.S., Nicoll, F., Shaw, C.A., & Stevens, R.M.G. Principal Investigator on $1,015,630 funding from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. January 19, 2024 – December 31, 2027.
• Onsite, Intercept Survey and Longitudinal Follow-up Study of Gamblers who Patronize Gambling Venues: An Integrated Knowledge Translation Project. Turner, N., Agic, B., Mann, R., Elton-Marshall, T, Hamilton, H., Matheson, F., McCready, J., van der Maas, M., Wang, W., Wickens, C., Williams, R.J. Co-Applicant on $1,269,900 funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. October 1, 2022 – September 2027.
• The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) (Phase 2). Volberg, R.A., Williams, R.J., & Melnik, M. Co-Principal Investigator on $6,800,000 USD from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. January 2020 – June 2025.