PhD research
There are a number of gambling-related harms PhDs at the University of Bristol, affiliated with the Hub.
| Project title and description | PhD student and Supervisors |
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Gambling in the digital age – An investigation of current and future challenges for gambling research and harm prevention. “Gamblification”, a term used to describe how the gambling industry aims to normalise gambling participation, has now expanded to also include gambling-like mechanisms being applied to non-gambling contexts, such as financial products. This research aims to understand how technological advancements are contributing to the gamblification of highly speculative financial products, including cryptocurrencies, which can both be traded on financial markets and used as currency in unregulated cryptocurrency-based casinos. Our recent findings have shown that gamblification occurs across multiple dimensions. An audit of the structural features of popular high-risk trading apps in the UK revealed that deceptive choice architecture, akin to those found in gambling products, was applied across several app design features, in particular those related to risk information. Moreover, our review of cryptocurrency trading indicates that the inherent volatility and decentralised nature of these assets can contribute to behaviours that closely mirror disordered gambling. Finally, an evaluation of unregulated, easily accessible crypto casino operators showed significant failings in consumer protection and responsible gambling features. Together, these findings underscore the importance of further research on how technological advancements are increasingly blurring the lines between trading and gambling, by offering consumers round-the-clock, high-risk products with very little regulatory oversight. This research can offer key insights that may inform policy development for regulating novel, rapidly evolving financial and gambling products, ultimately improving understanding of their risks and contributing to the development of harm reduction strategies. |
School of Psychological Science Supervisors: Philip Newall, Konstantinos Tsetsos Start date: September 2023 |
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Mind games: deciphering young people’s neurophysiological responses to (e)sports gambling content marketing ads on social media Previous studies have established that content marketing is highly effective and attractive to young consumers. Gambling brands heavily rely on these techniques to promote their products and services. This is concerning because young people are more vulnerable than adults due to their underdeveloped "advertising self-defence" mechanisms, making them more susceptible to the detrimental impact of gambling advertising. In this context, my research aims to address a significant flaw in the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code 16.3.12, which acknowledges that some gambling and lottery products possess elements likely to strongly appeal to individuals under 18 years old. However, the code fails to clarify what constitutes "strong appeal." By utilizing neuroimaging techniques such as Electroencephalography (EEG) and physiological measures like galvanic skin response (GSR), I can offer precise and comprehensive insights to policymakers regarding what young consumers find of "strong appeal" and protect them from the risks associated with gambling. |
University of Bristol Business School Supervisors: Agnes Nairn, Raffaello Rossi Start date:
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Applications and effects of Artificial Intelligence in gambling advertising My research focuses on two main areas: (1) the current and potential uses of Artificial Intelligence in gambling advertising, and (2) the effects of AI-based gambling advertisements on vulnerable populations. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Artificial Intelligence technologies are used in creating and targeting gambling advertisements and to evaluate the possible effects of these advertisements on people who are vulnerable to gambling-related harms. |
University of Bristol Business School Supervisors: Daniel Neyland, Raffaello Rossi Start date: |
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An examination of the psychological impact of Premier League betting advertisements on Chinese sports gamblers I am seeking to develop contributions to an original study in the field of sports gambling and marketing practices. Specifically, the proposal aims to explore the unique socio-political conditions that shape and gave rise to the ubiquity of sports gambling among the Chinese ethnic group. The research explores the cultural, political, and institutional shaping of the sports gambling industry in a climate where Chinese socialist policies elide with neoliberal market capitalism. There is currently a lack of research exploring sports gambling among the Chinese community and how intersection of class and culture can normalise gambling practices in ways that become exacerbated by persuasive marketing techniques. |
University of Bristol Business School Supervisors: Raffaello Rossi, Ai-Ling Lai Start date: |
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Democratising the markets? How the process of platformisation is shaping the investing practices of consumers and increasing the propensity for gambling-like activity In recent times, “D.I.Y” investing in financial markets has catapulted into a mass market activity and a new element of popular culture, with social media platforms and digital investing platforms both playing a key role in this development. Yet, the practice of investing is complex, where an association with gambling has been long debated, going back to the very formation of stock markets in the 1600s. While extant research has provided recent evidence establishing both a conceptual and empirical relationship between high-risk types of investing and gambling, there is currently limited research focused on examining how the aforementioned digital platforms might be facilitating harmful consumption practices amongst consumer investors. Consequently, this PhD addresses this important gap in the literature. Deploying a qualitative digital methods approach, data collection took place across six popular investing platforms, the WallStreetBets online investing community on the Reddit platform, and social media “Finfluencers” on YouTube and Instagram. Research outcomes hope to offer suggestions for how policy and practice can help tackle any gambling-like harms being fostered by the platformisation of consumer investing. |
University of Bristol Business School Supervisors: Fiona Spotswood, Raffaello Rossi, Sharon Collard Start date:
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Integrating exteroceptive and interoceptive signals in gambling: A bio-behavioural approach to understanding risky decision-making This project investigates the perceptual, motivational, and decision-making aspects of gambling behaviour, to improve understanding of the factors that contribute to harmful gambling. We are examining how variations in awareness of autonomic bodily signals, such as heart rate, interact with environmental signals to impact individual susceptibility to gambling risks. The research also explores how individual differences in cognitive and emotional traits might contribute to the initiation of harmful gambling. These traits include difficulties in recognising and expressing emotions, an elevated sense of agency or control over gambling outcomes, and deficits in set-switching and impulse control. By identifying markers that predict gambling risks, this research seeks to inform new strategies for preventing and treating gambling disorders. |
School of Psychological Science Supervisors: Hélio Cuve, Michael Banissy, Petra Fischer Start date: |
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The relationship between Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores and suicidality: Results of a nine-year cohort study of young UK adults Cross-sectional evidence suggests that people with gambling disorders are more likely to experience suicidality, but little research has explored this relationship among non-clinical gambling populations, especially over longitudinal timeframes. In this study, we investigate this relationship among the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to inform whether this relationship persists cross-sectionally and longitudinally (1-, 4-, and 5-year timeframes), among a non-clinical gambling population of young adults. Problem gambling was measured at ages 20, and 24 years with the problem gambling severity index (PGSI), a 9-item questionnaire designed for use among the general population; higher scores on this questionnaire indicated more harmful gambling behaviours. In our sample of 2,801 participants, we found that past-year suicide attempts were associated with PGSI scores at 24 years (Odds Ratio [OR]=1.13, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.05–1.21, p=.001). Longitudinally, PGSI scores predicted past-year suicidality over one-year (OR=1.15, 95% CI 1.06–1.25, p=.001), and four-year timespans (OR=1.20, 95% CI 1.08–1.34, p<.001), but this association was inconclusive over five-years (OR=1.14, 95% CI 0.995–1.31, p=.058). These findings suggest that harmful gambling is associated with current and future suicide attempts, and policymakers should consider this potential for gambling-related harms when informing future gambling legislation, or suicidality prevention strategies. |
School of Psychological Science Supervisors: Jasmine Khouja, Anya Skatova, Philip Newall Start date:
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What insight can collaborative songwriting bring into women’s lived experience of gambling? This research aims to generate new knowledge about women with lived experience of gambling. It seeks to do this by using a creative methodology, creating co-written songs with women, supported by a group discussion that will produce a rich understanding of their experiences that relate to gambling. This will be combined with a series of ‘expert’ interviews to provide a broader understanding of the relationship between creativity and recovery, women’s experiences of gambling, and the role of creative methodologies in understanding this. |
Supervisors: Jo Large, Sam Kirwan Start date: |