Category: Events

By Dr Emily Crick and Professor Agnes Nairn

Agnes Nairn, Hub Co-Director, and Emily Crick, Hub Research Development Associate joined representatives from the following institutions for a rich and stimulating 2 day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. 

• University of Namibia, Namibia – Dr Albert Shikongo 
• Makerere University, Uganda – Dr Branco Sekalegga and Dr David Kakeeto 
• Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, Kenya – Dr Gregory Jumah Nyongesa and Professor Pamela Raburu 
• Unified Initiative for Drug Free Nigeria/Arizona State University, Nigeria – Daniel Ikenna Molobe 
• University of Cape Town, University of South Africa, South Africa – Dr Caitlin Ferreira and Dr Jeandri Robertson 

All of these researchers have either been funded by the Hub or are working with Hub researchers and our mission was to work together on developing a Pan-African gambling harms research network.  In line with the complexity of gambling harms, the researchers’ disciplines and methodologies ranged from Performing Arts, Marketing, Education and Public Policy to Mathematical Modelling.  More details can be found about the funded projects here: Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Nigeria. The South Africa project is a replication of Bristol projects on the volume of broad cast gambling messaging during cricket, rugby and football. 

The workshop was supported by the Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Bristol, a Research Development International Collaboration Award from the University of Bristol and the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research. 

The network will be grounded firmly in the principles of the Africa Charter, an Africa-centred framework for advancing a transformative mode of research collaborations between the Global North and Africa and is a PARC Pathfinder Project – designed to put the charter principles into action. 

Over the course of two intense days together, involving a lot of flip charts and post-it notes, we co-created objectives for the network. 

 To support high quality Africa-centred gambling harms research collaborations  

• between University of Bristol (and other global North institutions) and partners across the African continent  
• between African partners 

To provide mutual support and capacity building in 

• building a career in gambling harms research 
• novel gambling harms research designs 
• conducting multi-disciplinary research 
• working with non-academic partners 
• writing academic papers 
• disseminating findings to lay audiences  
• working with impact stakeholders including policy makers, regulators and community groups 
• understanding how to use research to influence governments  

We explored the commonalities and divergences in how gambling is represented and understood across our countries and agreed that local, cultural understanding is paramount to help tailor local interventions to prevent gambling harms.  

Whilst each African project is very different, three strikingly common features emerged from our discussions.   

1. Gambling harms are escalating extremely fast across the continent partly because online betting (particularly on sports) has become easily accessible by mobile phone 
2. There is a severe paucity of research on gambling harms in Africa    
3. There are also two very important policy issues/tensions: 

• • Gambling brings much needed economic contribution to regions and nations. So, policy makers can be reluctant to regulate too heavily.  
  • Gambling operators are global giants with enormous marketing, IT and legal budgets.  Regulators are national or even regional.  They are ill-equipped to protect citizens from harm. So, it is hard for willing policy makers to keep up with the activities of gambling operators – particularly in the light of lack of understand of scale and scope of gambling harms. 

The policy impact of gambling harms research will therefore be a very important part of our network. 

We also discussed that whilst the tensions experienced by policy and public health officials in the face of escalating gambling harms are common across the world, most of the research has been done in the global North: Australia, UK, USA, Europe. One of the challenges for the network will be to ensure that research conducted in the continent is genuinely Africa centred across all areas of the Africa Charter. As a funder, the Hub has an opportunity to put into practice Charter principles that apply to funders. 

The group also agreed to replicate the Kenyan study on gambling harms amongst students in Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Namibia and UK. We are following up our exciting discussions online over the next couple of months and a grant from the Bristol Collegiate Research Society means we can all meet again in Bristol to take forward the network and our new research project.  This coincides with the Colloquium on 16th October. 

By Adrianna Jezierska, PhD researcher at University of Bristol Business School

The Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research held its second colloquium on 10th October 2024. After the success of last year’s event on capacity building in gambling harms research, this year focused on International Challenges in Gambling Harms Research. And it was a truly international gathering with 150 attendees from 10 nations comprising research experts, individuals with lived experience, government bodies, regulators and political commentators.  

From the moment the event opened, there was a clear sense of international urgency. Agnes Nairn and Sharon Collard, the Hub’s Co-Directors, set the tone in their welcome speech, reminding everyone that gambling is a global enterprise, and its harms are felt across the world.  

This international perspective was echoed throughout the day, starting with a compelling keynote speech from Brianne Doura-Schawohl, a leading voice in gambling policy reform in the US. She offered a fascinating look at the cultural and legislative landscape in the United States, where gambling has deep historical roots and is tightly woven into the fabric of American culture – especially through sports. Just think of the Super Bowl, where a staggering 67.8 million Americans place bets each year. Brianne also highlighted the important role of college sports, likening it to a religion for many, and suddenly, it all made sense to me. I realised how much this had shaped the basketball shows my younger brother and I watched on Netflix – most of the NBA players would play basketball in the basketball college league, something I had never experienced as a student in Europe.  

Throughout the day, alongside the sessions, participants could gather around over 20 research posters on a wide range of topics presented by early-career academics and awardees of the Hub Research Innovation Fund, among others.  

Session 1: Sports and gambling 

Simon Chadwick offered a brief overview of sports sponsorship and its ecosystem in the leading sports events, such as the UEFA Champions League. As he rightly pointed out, sponsorship is no longer simply about finances. Gambling companies increasingly support local communities by financing male and female football clubs and charity-giving to academic institutions, demonstrating how these deals can make an uneasy mix of philanthropic efforts and business transactions.  

This normalisation effect was also highlighted by Maria Moxey, a researcher at the University of Bristol. She discussed the numbers of gambling ads in the opening weekend of Premier League football. In 2023, there were just under 11,000 gambling advertisements across televised football matches, sports news programming, radio and social media. That number skyrocketed to 30,000 in 2024. Despite the so-called ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban, which stops the broadcasting of gambling adverts five minutes before and after the live sports event, gambling adverts are still present. The self-regulatory gambling advertising regime in GB is clearly not working. 

Carolyn Plateau, from the University of Loughborough, is one of the Research Innovation Hub awardees. The connection between gambling and cricket is less researched, but her work suggests that players are not immune to gambling. For example, cricketer Chris Wood has shared how gambling became a coping mechanism to manage emotions tied to his performance. 

Finally, Tobias Scholz from the University of Agder in Norway drew on yet another area of sports thus far neglected by governments: esports. As digital arenas are growing in popularity, there is an expanding marketplace for businesses, including gambling operators. Tobias highlighted that despite the interest in legislating gambling in elite sports, the approach is fragmented and lags behind the increasing popularity of esports.  

Session 2: Living with gambling harms  

With our understanding of the changing landscape of sports and gambling enhanced, we moved on to a conversation with Julie Martin and Matt Losing. This session differed from any other panel during the colloquium. The word ‘touching’ was probably the most used after this conversation. Facilitated by Ali Vowles, an ex-BBC Reporter and Presenter, attendees got to hear live experiences of people affected by gambling harms. I could see how quickly the interview changed the mood in the room.   

Julie recounted personal stories of how her partner’s decade-long gambling addiction led to his tragic suicide, leaving her and her family with deep emotional trauma. Matt, who formerly served in the British Navy, developed a gambling addiction after being exposed to casinos in ports around the world. His addiction worsened after leaving the Navy, when online gambling became more accessible to him. 

The anchoring point of their stories was the immense value of the support provided by lived experience groups that help people who experience harm from gambling. Julie and Matt actively support these causes. Julie is the Aftercare Co-ordinator at BetKnowMoreUK, a charity established by individuals with lived experience. Matt works as the Armed Forces project lead at Ara Recovery For All, a Bristol-based charity that supports people affected by gambling harms, mental health issues and addiction. 

Session 3: Cryptocurrency, illegal gambling and gambling-like activities 

If the colloquium had a sub-theme, I am sure it would be something around the digitalisation of gambling. This session, describing various digital challenges for regulating gambling activities, started after a lunch break, where we had a chance to mingle, digest the morning sessions, and chat with the poster presenters.  

Sanya Burgess, a journalist with The i newspaper, discussed her investigative work into the rise of crypto casinos and gambling influencers, highlighting how these creators use fun, neon-coloured videos and celebrity imagery to promote unregulated crypto casinos. Unlike traditional casinos, crypto casinos allow anonymous, high-stakes betting with no limits or regulations, making them particularly harmful. Streamers often receive sponsorships from casinos, where their earnings increase as their followers lose more money. This lack of transparency encourages harmful gambling behaviour. Some influencers, driven by these deals, developed their own gambling addictions, with several reporting lost income, suicidal thoughts, and contracts being cancelled after their streams promoted risky betting habits.  

The University of Bristol’s Philip Newall discussed some of his new research about the gamblification of investing. The work started by drawing similarities between gambling and investing to the extent that they both include risky use of money. Although people in general perceive investing as less risky than gambling, gamblified investment products attract individuals to participate in high-frequency stock trading, or use design principles from gambling, such as encouraging frequent use or offering the allure of big, lottery-like wins. The gamblification of investing presents additional challenges for regulating financial markets and gambling as it blurs the lines between the two activities.  

Elena Petrovskaya from the University of Lincoln highlighted the fragmented regulation around loot box advertising. Loot boxes appear in video games, promoting the chance to win enhancements to performance in the game.  More specifically, she discussed the case study of the Netherlands and Belgium, two European Union states that have adopted some form of loot box regulation. Loot boxes have drawn criticism for targeting younger or vulnerable players by making them seem like a fun or easy way to enhance the gaming experience while downplaying the gambling-like nature of the transactions. 

Simon Ellis, from HMRC’s investigation team, discussed the organisation’s efforts to combat financial crimes like money laundering, a top priority for the team. He shared examples of fraud, including individuals submitting false tax declarations and organised crime groups smuggling tobacco and cigarettes with the proceeds laundered by placing large bets at local gambling venues. Such sophisticated schemes harm society by reducing tax revenue for essential services and operating outside traditional banking systems, making them harder to detect.  

Session 4: International and Interdisciplinary perspectives panel presentations and discussion 

The final session of the colloquium wrapped up some of the key themes from discussions throughout the day. Andrea Czako, from the University of Gibraltar and Selma Ilonga, from the University of Namibia, both awardees of the Research Innovation Fund, provided initial findings of their international projects. Andrea’s focus is on the public perception of gambling and gambling disorder. Probably the most staggering number from her presentation was that 47.5% of people would reject a friendship with someone who has a gambling problem. On the other hand, Selma provided a brief overview of the gambling legislation in Namibia that came into force in 2021. Despite the adoption of the Act, there is growing gambling advertising promotion across the country. The team of researchers led by Selma is investigating the promotional communication and materials used to influence gambling activities in a country that grapples with poverty and unemployment. Both presentations provided a unique understanding of the cultural dimensions of gambling across the globe.  

Kate Bedford from the University of Birmingham and Ben Haden from the Gambling Commission and President of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) put forward this key message: in this fast-changing area, there is a need for good data and evidence to help minimise the risk and harms associated with gambling. In her presentation on the need for interdisciplinarity in gambling harms research, Kate referred to the fragmented conversations about legislation. While some countries adopt laws, we do not have a robust understanding of, nor evidence about, what regulation works best. Legal interventions designed with one group in mind can make things worse for other groups, making the case for a stronger interdisciplinarity in gambling research. In a similar vein, Ben presented the ongoing work by the IAGR, strengthening the available data and making them more widely available for researchers and interest groups that can influence decision-making, ultimately leading to a better understanding of what regulatory changes are necessary.   

Looking ahead to the third colloquium in 2025 

As the day drew to a close, it was clear that the colloquium set the stage for what is both achievable and necessary. With growing global and cross-disciplinary interests, participants fostered rich dialogue during the day. One participant remarked, “An amazing array of information and knowledge. It’s encouraging to see so much hard work being done.” Another added, “The posters covered a wide range of topics and sparked some fascinating discussions.”  

This sense of collaboration was widely appreciated, with attendees emphasising the welcoming tone and balanced mix of lived experiences alongside professional expertise “The tone of the event was very welcoming and the mix of lived experience and various other types of expertise was good”.  

It was exciting to observe such a dynamic exchange of ideas and a growing collective commitment to reforming the gambling industry. I look forward to next year’s event, where this momentum will surely continue to grow. 

By Billy Greville, PhD Researcher at University of Bristol Business School

As I approached the M SHED museum, the impressive event space located in one of Bristol’s key cultural harbourside landmarks, I was reflecting on the colloquium’s theme this year: Building capacity in gambling harms research. As a 2nd year PhD researcher this seemed to not only capture the sentiment of my own journey over the past 12 months, but also the journey we are all on, as those who are pushing hardest to prevent and reduce gambling harms.

To build capacity sounded like a rallying cry; an opportunity to sharpen our conceptual and empirical tools, and hear directly from those with lived experience, campaigners, regulators and policymakers — all of whom are needed to effectively address the challenges emerging from a global gambling industry estimated to reach over $1 Trillion by 2030.

The whole is more than the sum of its parts…

Capacity building by silos would soon fail, however. So, the key premise of the colloquium was to bring together, both online and in person, a diverse mix of expertise from across the world — including governmental representatives, research experts and those with lived experience — to discuss ways of tackling gambling harms. The holistic approach provided what felt to me like a credible foundation on what is often the wide-reaching yet slippery grounds of gambling, requiring interdisciplinary knowledge and often transdisciplinary solutions.

The morning welcome speech by Co-chairs of the Hub, Sharon Collard and Agnes Nairn, echoed this, emphasising the importance of encouraging new kinds of people and perspectives to work with the Hub, as it continues its mission to raise awareness of gambling harms, strengthen consumer protection, and enhance support and treatment.

The day included a lively poster session, with over 20 researchers showcasing their work, and centred around four thought-provoking keynotes and panel speaker sessions, each anchored within one of the key research challenges of the Hub.

Session 1: Perceptions, Motivations, Decisions: What initiates gambling harms?

Lord Foster, long-time gambling reform campaigner and sitting House of Lords member, kicked things off with an impassioned keynote speech, pointing out that regulation needs continuous reform. He discussed some limitations of the White Paper, lacking proper restrictions on gambling products and marketing and advertising, especially sports betting. He also reiterated his belief that in a smartphone era gambling must now be treated as a public health issue.

Not surprisingly, advertising featured prominently in the panel session. University of Bristol’s Michael Banissy discussed how advertising and other cues in our environment play on specific networks in the brain, increasing the possibility of gambling harms.

Andy Taylor, from the Committee of Advertising Practice, offered insight into the restrictions they face as a downstream regulator, advising researchers wishing to collaborate to align projects within their regulatory scope.

Ghent University’s Steffi De Jans brought a fascinating case study to the session, talking about the implications on the recent ban of gambling advertising in Belgium. I wondered how much Belgium’s cultural morality played into this success, perhaps encouraging more political will as voters’ values may have aligned with a ban, and what this might mean in a UK context.

Another interesting topic that emerged was product design. Guy Bray from GamCare spoke about how advertising pulls young gamblers in, however it’s an app that traps them in a state of play. I thought about how this contrasts with advertising regulation. Addiction by design in a risky context such as gambling is highly problematic, yet, to me, seems to get less regulatory emphasis.

Session 2: Narratives, Practice, Representation: What is the everyday practice and portrayal of gambling in social groups?

During this session, the voices of those with lived experience of gambling harms came through strongly. Peter and Steph Shilton’s keynote speech demonstrated the secretive nature of gambling, and the extensive lengths people can go to hide it from their loved ones. Steph also highlighted the challenges loved ones face as “silent victims”, often overlooked for treatment and support.

This was echoed by BetKnowMore UK’s Liz Riley, who highlighted the issues women face as affected others, often carrying the extra burden of financial responsibility, feelings of Isolation and shame, or even coerced into keeping gambling secrets from other family and friends.

Wendy Knight, from GLEN, powerful reading of the poem, “I am Addiction”, authored by an anonymous writer, further brought me viscerally into the world of somebody suffering from gambling harms. I recommend anybody working in gambling harms research to read it also.

Another important theme of this session was the evolving nature of gambling, its craftiness in finding new gamblers through emerging contexts.

University of Bremen’s Tobias Hayer discussed the growth of sports betting in Germany; it’s portrayal by advertising as low-risk and harmless, just a new type of fan activity, helping create social norms linking gambling to supporting your team.

Sam Kirwan, from the University of Bristol, discussed how unregulated crypto assets are a new form of investing practice but moulded in the shape of gambling. What I found particularly interesting was how young people, often described as being worse off than previous generations, were lured into using cryptocurrencies as a hope device for longer term life goals such as buying a house. The similarity to gambling struck me, how in recessionary times gambling is often highest amongst people who face the most severe financial problems.

Session 3: Experience, Risk, Harm. What social and special inequalities exacerbate gambling harms?

Gambling harms can play out and affect groups of people and places differently. As the Guardian’s Rob Davies discussed in his keynote, the clustering of betting shops in less affluent areas target communities and embed gambling harms. This session also pointedly demonstrated the need to consider other marginalised or overlooked groups.

Bournemouth University’s Reece Bush-Evans talked about how marginalised groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community can suffer more or in unexpected ways from gambling harms. Bristol University’s Jo Large also discussed the hidden harms of betting shop employees; how they felt unqualified to handle the levels of problematic behaviour they witnessed daily and felt a burden was placed on them to enforce regulatory rules.

All different examples yet display brilliantly how we must continue to understand the full ecology of gambling harms.

Linking to this, Lee Kah Wee, from the National University of Singapore, brought another unique perspective to the session. He talked about how casinos in Singapore use public transport infrastructure as a form of advertising, targeting customers with a private bus service, bringing the casino to the doors of locals and high-net-worth tourists. Ultimately, they act like mobile advertising, providing a brand experience of luxury. He finished his talk by posing a question: Are casinos exporting harms beyond their buildings?

This occupied my thoughts during the afternoon coffee break. If we consider gambling as a public health issue, as Public Health England suggests, could we create a powerful narrative by framing all PR, sponsorship, marketing or advertising as examples of operators exporting gambling harms beyond their sites?

Session 4: Innovations, Transition, Change: What socio-technical innovations can help combat gambling harms?

The gambling industry is highly innovative, driving profits by leveraging data and new technology while employing the best talent. This informative session showcased how we must continually seek out our own innovations, to both understand and effectively make use of emerging technology and big data to combat gambling harms. The speakers all provided compelling ideas on this call to action.

In her keynote speech, Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Swansea East, stated that gambling is now firmly on the political agenda. She spoke about how machines are dictating our lives more than ever, and how the impacts of the first iPhone and the gambling act, both from 2007, has transformed gambling into what it is today.

Jamie Wheaton, from University of Bristol, provided an excellent overview of the status of socio-technical innovations in the gambling industry today. Chris May, from Mayden Health tech, discussed how a data-driven approach can be used to help with prevention and treatment, offering bespoke services for gamblers. From the Behavioural Insights Team, Ruth Persian spoke about their Activity Statement research in Australia and how having personal statistics on gambling usage made a big difference to people, empowering more informed financial decisions. I found Clean Up Gambling’s Matt Zarb-Cousin’s idea of gamifying recovery particularly interesting. His notion of using technology to maximise recovery, not profit, seemed like a perfect mantra for this session, inverting the traditional tech model.

The end yet just the beginning

This year’s inaugural colloquium created a rich and lively environment facilitating a cross-pollination of ideas amongst a fantastic intersection of people, all passionate about reforming the gambling industry. I walked away knowing much more about the broad challenges faced yet, perhaps more importantly, inspired by the growing body of expertise on display and a steadfastness to continue working hard on my own research. I look forward to carrying on the conversations at next year’s event.