Date: Wednesday 15^th June 2022
Time: 18:00 – 19:00
Location: Conference Hall, Europa Point Campus

The Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming invites you to another of their public lectures presented by Joseph Macey.

In recent decades gambling has become ever more prominent as a leisure activity, aided by both increasing liberalisation of regulation and easier access afforded via the internet and mobile technologies. The most obvious manifestation of these processes could be seen in relation to the growth of sports betting, indeed the term “gamblification” was first used in the late 2000s to describe the colonisation of the sporting ecosystem by the gambling industry. Since that time, the practices associated with gamblification have evolved to encompasses the use of gambling, and gambling-like, activities as a means of driving both consumer engagement and monetisation of services and products. The most (in)famous examples of which are, arguably, loot boxes and Social Casino Games. Yet gamblification is not limited to digital games, nor indeed to digital technologies, with examples of the practice evident in such diverse contexts as video streaming, health and wellbeing, and even pro-social contexts such as encouraging recycling. This lecture will explore different contexts of gamblification and the reasons why it is important to identify and understand this growing phenomenon.

Joseph Macey is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre of Excellence in Game Cultures, University of Turku, Finland. His work investigates the interactions between video game play, esports, and gambling. Associated research interests include: the development of addictive, or otherwise problematic, behaviours; cognitive biases and their effects on consumption; and the monetisation of play. In addition to having published extensively in international journals, he is actively engaged with social outreach organisations, is an advisor to the Gambling Administration of Finland, and has been an invited speaker at both academic and industry events.