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UK funding (£539,375): A Full House: Developing A New Socio-legal Theory of Global Gambling Regulation. Ukri1 Sept 2013 UK Research and Innovation, United Kingdom
Overview
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A Full House: Developing A New Socio-legal Theory of Global Gambling Regulation.
| Abstract | Studies of gambling law reform provide insights for policymakers and academics concerned with the regulation of risk and speculation. Previous studies of gambling law and political economy have largely taken casinos and lotteries as the key research sites. This project seeks to make a substantial contribution to empirical and theoretical debates about gambling and the regulation of speculation by using a different lens: bingo. Although bingo is a markedly under-researched site, it is a globally significant and extremely profitable gambling form, played in many countries and increasingly popular online. As a key site for working class women's gambling, bingo reveals the resilience of gendered and class-based gambling cultures: in the UK commercial bingo halls outnumber casinos by a factor of five, and they employ more people than casinos do. Bingo is also enmeshed with law and political economy in distinctive ways. For example it is a key site for charity fundraising, and even when played commercially it is associated with community and social welfare more often than risky profit-making. Two pilot studies conducted by the PI have revealed that this legal and social position, at the intersection of risk and welfare, poses significant challenges for regulators, and raises important questions about how the governance of speculation is related to concerns about social cohesion and non-profit activity. The proposed research will address those regulatory challenges, and provide answers to those key questions. Using four case studies of bingo regulation (England and Wales; Canada; Brazil; and online play offered to residents of EU countries), the research will achieve two objectives: 1. provide a systematic account of how bingo is regulated, to ascertain the key legal and policy challenges involved, and to make recommendations to policymakers, the gambling industry, third sector stakeholders, and academics; 2. advance knowledge of a key site in global gambling liberalization debates, one which allows us to explore how the governance of risk and speculation are gendered, and related to concerns about charity and welfare. The selected cases offer considerable variation in regulatory approach, including criminalization of bingo (Brazil), regulation through charity law (Canada), and regulation as both commercial activity and charity fundraising (UK). Moreover on-line gambling is a site of on-going legal contestation in the EU, leading to legal reforms in multiple jurisdictions. This will be the first project to track and analyse different approaches to bingo regulation, in cyber- and traditional space, and to use this knowledge to generate recommendations about how speculation and welfare are best regulated in contemporary market economies. Research will involve mixed doctrinal and socio-legal methodologies including 1) review of the current legislation, licensing guidance, and case law shaping regulation of the sector, and 2) interviews with key stakeholders. Except in Brazil (where play is illegal), researchers will also observe bingo games to experience how rules and regulations are interpreted and enforced. Analysis will develop codes, concepts, and themes from the collected data, including via the use of textual analysis software. The proposed research offers benefits to three UK user groups: policymakers, the bingo industry, and the third sector. Several key stakeholders have agreed to participate, and some were involved in the two pilot studies. User-group dissemination activities include a project website, a user-group workshop, a final report containing policy recommendations, and summaries of key themes raised in interviews aimed at non-academic beneficiaries in each jurisdiction. The project will also result in six academic publications, including a sole authored monograph and four articles in preeminent journals. |
| Category | Research Grant |
| Reference | ES/J02385X/1 |
| Status | Closed |
| Funded period start | 01/09/2013 |
| Funded period end | 31/08/2017 |
| Funded value | £539,375.00 |
| Source | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FJ02385X%2F1 |
Participating Organisations
| University of Kent | |
| Online Bingo Summit | |
| Responsible Gambling Council | |
| Gambling Research Exchange Ontario | |
| Corporate LiveWire | |
| Working Men's Club Institute & Union Ltd | |
| Clarion Events | |
| The Bingo Association | |
| University of Alberta | |
| Responsible Gambling Trust | |
| Ontario Charitable Gambling Association (Canada) |
The filing refers to a past date, and does not necessarily reflect the current state. The current state is available on the following page: University of Kent, Canterbury.
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