Abstracts
Abstract
The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the strategies used by the gambling industry to influence the reforming of the state online monopoly into a licensing system in Sweden in 2019, and to weaken state online monopoly in Finland. Methodologically, this study used primary data from 9 expert interviews in both countries and secondary data from prior literature, which were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results identified five main political strategies used by the gambling industry: (1) Information, through lobbying politicians; (2) Constituency Building, through forming an alliance with interest groups; (3) Policy Substitution, through promoting alternative policies and self-regulation; (4) Legal Infringements; and (5) Regulatory Redundancy. The study concluded that the involvement of the gambling industry in policy-making influenced the change of the state online monopoly into a licensing system in Sweden in 2019 and is weakening the state online monopoly in Finland.
Keywords:
- case study,
- gambling,
- monopoly,
- policy,
- Finland,
- Sweden
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Dr. Thomas Babila Sama, PhD (10/2012), (Social Sciences – Social and Public Policy) is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Social and Public Policy and is currently employed by the Unit of Social and Public Policy, University of Helsinki, Finland, where this project was carried out. Dr. Sama has extensively studied gambling research in Sweden and Finland, and has worked on several research projects as Postdoctoral Researcher and Principal Investigator (PI). He was the PI of this study and wrote the background of the study, collected the secondary and interview data, analyzed and interpreted the data, and reported the results as the first author of the research article manuscript.
Professor Heikki Hiilamo, PhD, (Social Sciences, Social and Public Policy) is Professor of Social and Public Policy and is currently employed by the Unit of Social and Public Policy, University of Helsinki, Finland, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Hiilamo has extensively studied gambling research projects and has led several research teams. As the supervisor of this study, he was involved in drafting the article manuscript for publication, revising it critically for intellectual content and approving the final version to be published as co-author. Both authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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