Who are you?
My name is Sébastien Berret and I am currently in the final stages of writing my doctoral dissertation in Sociology.
How did you end up at CEACG?
I first started working for CEACG's GPEW project as a research assistant back in 2016/17, when I was still studying in France. I wanted a summer job related to my studies and was fortunate enough to secure a four-month internship under the supervision of CEACG's current research director, Virve Marionneau. As our collaboration proved fruitful, I was encouraged to continue working with them for another year, and later to apply for a PhD at the University of Helsinki. And here I am, living in Finland since 2019.
What is your current research about?
My doctoral dissertation investigates the commercial determinants of health in the European gambling industry, which are the systems, pathways, and practices of commercial entities that can affect the health of populations. I do so by drawing on case studies examining the expansion of operators from the Global North into the Global South, the financialization of the gambling industry, the effects of more relaxed regulation on casino markets, how the rapid digitalization of gambling is changing the structure of the industry, and their related implications on health.
I not only look into gambling firms' practices that can harm health, but also the economic systems in which they operate and that allow such practices to take place. The progressive increase in gambling-related issues across Europe, a region with mature or even saturated markets, cannot be understood without considering the wider structural forces affecting this activity. The CDoH offers a conceptual lens through which to consider structural phenomena such as neoliberalism, financialization and globalization in relation to the rise of gambling harms. Gambling is not just harmful; the problem also lies with operators aggressively promoting their products and with the economic and ideological changes that have liberalised gambling markets and normalised this activity since the 1980s. Therefore, public health is also a social issue and the harms generated by the gambling industry should also be investigated by social scientists to improve our understanding of this issue.
Why do you think it's important to examine this topic?
Among the addictive industries (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis), gambling is the sector the most impacted by digitalization. The growing liberalisation of online markets and penetration of smartphones across the globe have transformed gambling into an activity that can be performed anywhere, at any time. This process has also allowed operators to tap into vast amounts of customer data, which are collected and processed by increasingly sophisticated algorithms for behavioural tracking. This results in tailored promotions and engagement-seeking practices. However, existing research has shown that boosting engagement and retention in gambling can lead to a higher risk of addiction. Investigating gambling firms' strategies to boost their revenues, and particularly in online environments, is paramount in order to develop safer regulatory frameworks that effectively protect consumers.
If you could switch places with your CEACG colleague for one day, who would you choose and why?
I would switch places with Prof. Emeritus Pekka Sulkunen, the founder and former leader of the CEACG research group. I admire his work and theoretical insights.