Kindt's Paper Epitomizes the Problems in Gambling Research.

The gambling literature is replete with accusations of bias. Research that has been funded by the gambling industry, or an organization that at some point has been associated with the gambling industry, is often dismissed as biased. There are two obvious problems with the argument that funded research is dishonest. First, if funding nullifies research findings, then all government-supported research, must be invalid. In the extreme case, only unpaid volunteer researchers should be trusted. Second, scientific findings are not simply opinions. Questionable findings can be either supported or refuted by other researchers who repeat experiments, empirical tests, and analyses. Kindt does not bother to refute researchers with whom he disagrees; he simply lobs personal attacks and conflict-of-interest allegations. Most of the support for his arguments comes from non-academic sources. While this type of work might be suitable for publication in a law review, it is inappropriate for a peer reviewed economics journal.