What's New in
Gambling Research
April 2020 | Issue 2
Welcome
Welcome to the second issue of What's New in Gambling Research. This newsletter profiles recently released research about gambling-related harm and problem gambling and provides links to other useful resources and events.

GREO specialises in knowledge translation and exchange. We are supporting the National National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms in Great Britain by applying our skills and expertise to support research to inform action. This newsletter is one way for us to deliver the latest information in support of the National Strategy to your mailbox.

This issue features work by authors in the UK and internationally to bring relevant and up-to-date information. We are also pleased to announce two funding opportunities to support Secondary Data Analysis and Open Access.

Special Note Regarding COVID-19: The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic could have a significant impact on how, why, and when people gamble. GREO is committed to curating and sharing the best available evidence to inform meaningful and responsive policy and practice across the gambling landscape. In partnership with international stakeholders, we’re building a COVID -19 resource page that gathers together pertinent evidence related to gambling behaviour, mental health, and wellbeing.
Academic Articles
Here you will find links to recently published articles in the academic literature to help keep you informed of new directions and developments in gambling research. These are linked to two-page Research Snapshot summaries created by GREO and approved by the article’s primary author. We provide links to online abstracts and, where possible, Open Access articles. READ MORE
Specialised Resources
Gambling studies has a rich grey literature that can be used to inform projects and presentations. These specialised resources range from research reports to policy reviews to government reports and discussion papers. They represent some of the timeliest sources of information on current issues in gambling. We highlight selected new resources on issues of interest to academics and policy makers in the UK.  EXPLORE RESOURCES
Datasets
In the spirit of Open Science and to promote the reuse of existing data, we share information about accessible datasets with potential to support your research and teaching. Scroll down to read more about a new dataset called Twitter postings of gambling operators and affiliates [United Kingdom].
Conferences
To keep you informed of upcoming conferences, we’ll post conference links, including dates and locations, so you don’t miss opportunities to share your work and connect with colleagues. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many events have been postponed or cancelled, and information is changing daily. Scroll down and follow our links at the bottom of this newsletter for the latest information.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter. If you have information to share with the UK gambling research community or on our COVID-19 resource page, please forward it to GREO for inclusion in an upcoming issue. We are collecting feedback about this issue of the newsletter through a short survey which we invite you to complete.

You can also visit our microsite to learn more about GREO's program of activity in support of the National Strategy, including dissemination of research, applying research to policy, and international collaboration. Since GREO began supporting the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms in July 2019, 237 Research Snapshots and 65 Specialised Resources relevant to the strategy have been published in the GREO Evidence Centre.
Highlights from Academic Articles and Specialised Resources
Equivalent gambling warning labels are perceived differently
A brief review of consumer credit use and gambling-related debts
Identifying effective policy interventions to prevent gambling-related harm
Open Access Dataset


This dataset includes Twitter postings by five British Gambling Operators and five gambling affiliates with the highest reach on the platform. The Tweets ( N=13,344) were collected over a 14-day period in June 2018, with 5,029 from gambling operators and 8,315 from gambling affiliates. Given the extensive use of social media by operators and affiliates, the contribution of this dataset is that it allows systematic content analyses that can provide insights into similarities and differences in categories of Tweets for areas such as marketing, brand awareness, betting tips, safer gambling, and beyond. The dataset is housed in the Mendeley Data repository and publicly available in an Excel format.

A Research Snapshot summary of a related article, “Comparing the Twitter posting of British gambling operators and gambling affiliates: A summative content analysis” is available on the GREO website. The article provides a detailed description of the dataset and important insights into social media content among gambling operators and gambling affiliates.
Houghton, S. (2018), Twitter Postings of Gambling Operators and Affiliates, Mendeley Data, v1, http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/rhdjw852x4.1
Funding announcement for
Secondary Data Analysis and Open Access publications

GREO is now accepting applications for secondary analyses of high-quality datasets with the potential to advance understanding of gambling and health issues in Great Britain. Two grants valued at up to £17,500 will be awarded. Funds are derived from non-voluntary regulatory settlements.

Until May 29, 2020, we will be accepting applications for the secondary analysis of nationally representative datasets that address gambling and health. In support of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, proposals that address the following areas are encouraged:

  • Gambling and co-occurring health conditions
  • Populations experiencing social inequity 
  • Reducing harm across the spectrum of gambling risk levels
  • Gaps in treatment service provision
  • Relationships between gambling forms, co-occurring health conditions, and problem gambling risk levels 

Researchers with knowledge of gambling in Great Britain are preferred. For more information or to submit an application, visit the GREO website.


Open Access funding announced in the January 2020 newsletter has been awarded to Philip Newall, Lukasz Walasek, and Elliot Ludvig for their article, “ Equivalent gambling warning labels are perceived differently,” published recently in Addiction.

Funding is still available until May 31, 2020 for up to three more Open Access articles.

Priority is given to meta-analyses, systematic literature reviews, and scoping reviews; manuscripts that directly address harm reduction; and, manuscripts that include policy implications for harm prevention, reduction, and/or mitigation. Authors must be affiliated with a UK institution. One award per year only can be held by a researcher or project group.

For more information or to submit an application, visit the GREO website .
New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference
March 10-12, 2020 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Gambling Commission’s Tim Miller, Executive Director, opened the conference with a moving keynote that recognised the importance of research to inform action and that safer gambling is a shared responsibility amo ngst st akeholders. Tim emphasized the importance of moving theoretical information into actions that positively impact people and evaluating whether what we are doing works. He reminded us to always ask ourselves, is the change you seek happening? 

Broader messages from the conference included:

  • The importance of incorporating lived experience or experts by experience
  • Recognising that the rate of change in game design, payment options, and our ability to understand play patterns through algorithms is changing very rapidly
  • Identifying the levers for safer gambling
  • Understanding play patterns and windows for intervention
  • Developing safety-oriented culture

To explore the conference themes in more detail, please review the pre-conference papers by Dr. Kahlil S. Philander, Dr. Jonathan Parke, and Judith Glynn, M.Sc.
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops


Within the UK

Theme: Behavioural addictions – from past to present
POSTPONED UNTIL 2021- Nottingham, UK


Outside the UK

POSTPONED - Auckland, NZ
Theme: He haerenga – A journey from harm to wellbeing

September 8-11, 2020 - Oslo, Norway
Theme: Freedom of choice or limited opportunities

October 28-30, 2020 - Melbourne, Australia 
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