Gambling is now a well-recognised public health issue across the globe. However, the public health and policy literature related to gambling is still in its infancy. A new book, as part of the Work and Welfare in Europe series from Palgrave MacMillian, explores the complexities of gambling regulation in Europe. Three leading European gambling researchers Michael Egerer, Virve Marionneau, and Janne Nikkenen (eds), from the prestigious Centre for Research, Addiction, Control and Governance at the University of Helsinki, have drawn together an outstanding compilation of chapters from experts across Europe, and have used the book to build upon their Academy of Finland research grant ‘Gambling Policy in European Welfare Regimes’ (2014–2019). Nikkenen in particular is arguably one of the most respected gambling policy researchers in the world, and is well recognised for his thoughtful and forensic analysis of the gambling industry and the power structures that influence gambling policy.
The chapters cover a broad range of perspectives about gambling, including the history of gambling, the range of regulatory structures to address gambling, and the policy contexts across European countries. It is particularly refreshing to see a strong theoretical perspective throughout the book. The book is important because it moved beyond the individual causes of gambling addition, to investigate the role of influential industries, harmful products, and the networks of power that influence policy and regulation. The editors state that the aim of the book is to reflect the societal and political debates surrounding gambling, and the use of gambling-related funds, and they have skilfully achieved this aim. For example, in their introductory chapter they expertly juxtapose the seductive messaging strategies from the gambling industry that gambling is important to boost economic jobs, provide jobs, and generate tax revenue to pay for critical community infrastructure, with the realities of the harms that gambling causes to individuals, their families, and communities.
The book is divided into four sections, each of which covers a specific theme. The first section focuses on case studies in which the majority of gambling revenue is used to fund state based welfare. This section focuses on France, Italy, Australia and Spain. The introduction to Chapter Two by Vivre Marionneau and Sebastien Berret provides a powerful reminder of how dependent governments may become on taxation revenue from gambling. They show that in 2015, France had a Gross Gambling Revenue of 9.6 billion Euros, with over half of this (5.4 billion Euros) levied by the state government in taxes. Key informant interviews with 17 beneficiaries, providers and regulators of gambling in France demonstrate the wide range of opinions about the collection and use of gambling taxation revenue, with some describing the state as having key conflicts of interest as beneficiary, provider and regulator of gambling, and others stating that the collection of taxation revenue from gambling to be redistributed by the state to communities was a positive measure. The authors conclude by arguing for further research to examine the beneficiaries of gambling. Chapter Three’s examination of gambling regulation in Italy (Rolando and Scavada) provides an insightful discussion about the rationale for the liberalisation of gambling (the need to increase tax revenue, and limiting illegal gambling) and arguments that refute this rationale. Chapter Four (Bereiter and Storr) uses a case study of Austria to examine the topical issues of consumer protection, and responsible advertising. In the final chapter of this section, Becona and Becona, provide a historical look at gambling in Spain with an interesting focus on the regulation of different types of gambling products.
The second section of the book provides case studies of gambling for designated purposes, with chapters exploring Germany, Slovenia, State Lotteries, and Bingo. Donal Casey from the Kent Law School, University of Kent, was the highlight of this section, and provided a fascinating and innovative chapter on the ‘DNA of Bingo’. There is very limited discussion of Bingo in the academic literature, and this chapter provides important empirical evidence from interviews with 40 online bingo stakeholders, as well as participant observation at industry conferences and events. Even for those outside of gambling, the chapter provides a robust case study for the growing Commercial Determinants of Health Literature, and provides methods that could be replicated in other countries and with other products.
Section three focuses on regulation and legislation in Norway, Sweden, and Poland. The chapter on Poland (by Wieczorek and Bujalski) is perhaps the highlight of the book, and a must read for any gambling researcher in understanding the influence of the gambling industry on politicians. The chapter describes a scandal focused on anti-corruption actions against ruling party politicians for being involved “in unofficial lobbying and serving the vested interests of the gambling industry” (p. 218), and the subsequent media attention and policy action that ensued.
Section four provides a much needed focus on theoretical perspectives, including about whether it is ethical for gambling revenue to be used for state based welfare. This section provides contributions from two of the leading critical gambling scholars in the world – Jim Orford from the United Kingdom and Pekka Sulkunen from Finland, both of whose works have made significant contributions to the reframing of gambling from one of individual responsibility, to a public health issue driven by industry behaviours and ineffective regulatory structures. In Chapter 13, Professor Orford provides an examination of the liberalisation of gambling in Britain, the role of the gambling industry in creating a discourse of ‘harmless fun’ and that gambling was an ‘ordinary business’ just like any other in the UK. The penultimate chapter of the book by Pekka Sulkunen investigated the public interest approach to gambling policy and research. These two chapters should be compulsory reading for all new students of gambling.
The editors conclude by outlining the contradictions between gambling and European states, arguing that gambling policy must take into consideration gambling from a broader perspective, including moving beyond a sole focus on ‘problem gambling’ towards an acknowledgement of the broader range of health and social harms that are linked to gambling. While the authors state that this book will be of interest to students and scholars, the book will also be of great interest to policy makers and regulators in Europe and across the globe, and anyone who is interested in the impacts of powerful vested interests on public policy.
