The global gambling industry: Structures, tactics, and networks of impact

The gambling industry is comprised of a host of very different actors, ranging from multinational corporations to local operators. The industry is increasingly concentrating into the hands of multinational, global actors. These actors consist of gambling operators but also of other stakeholders in the production and value chains. While markets in much of the global north are becoming saturated, the gambling industries are seeking growth by pushing increasingly addictive products to the market, or by expanding their operations to the global south. This also creates problems at a global scale. These structures, tactics, and networks of impact of the gambling industry make it particularly difficult to regulate. We argue that reducing the harms created by a global gambling industry requires global solutions.This structured session presents a collection of case studies that connects to the workings of the global gambling industries and to the political economy of gambling. The case studies have been divided into following sections: The structures of the global gambling industry (Johanna Järvinen-Tassopoulos, Pekka Sulkunen), the framings and tactics used to normalise gambling (Heather Wardle, Tamara Besendjak-Valic) and interests in the production of gambling (Peter Adams).