Gambling as part of a regional experience economy concept: A socio-cultural analysis of the new Tampere casino (2020-)

Tampere is to have a second casino in Finland at autumn 2021. The objective of the study is to evaluate the casino project in view of the well-established social consequences of gambling caused the regionally emerging supply of opportunities for gambling. This will be accomplished by examining both pre- and post-settings. The TreAdd research group participates especially in studying the social implications. The expectations of how the casino will affect the city will be evaluated by social workers, police officers and debt counselling officials before and after the casino is opened. The study is expected to result in a framework for understanding how a new gambling venue - as part of the commercial urban space of the city - is viewed as causing harm and trouble within professional communities. Collaboration is ongoing with Paula Jääskeläinen and Michael Egerer in the Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance (CEACG, University of Helsinki). This study will form part of Jääskeläinen’s doctoral dissertation. Within the project she has also studied city representatives’ views on the opening of a casino through the lens of the experience economy in order to understand how gambling is justified by proponents and opponents of the casino project.