Virve Marionneau (PhD, title of docent) is an Associate Professor in Sociology and the director of CEACG. Her research focuses on gambling regulations, the commercial and legal determinants of gambling, and gambling harms. Her on-going projects focus on producing empirical, theoretical, and comparative research evidence to reduce and prevent gambling-related harm in societies. She also runs the ERC-funded
Virve Marionneau will gladly comment on current topics including gambling harms, gambling policy, and new developments in the gambling field.
Keywords: gambling, harms, regulation, policy, digital environments
Sébastien Berret is conducting a PhD in sociology at the University of Helsinki. His research examines gambling operators' strategies, gambling policy, and more generally the fundamental tension between profit maximization and public health in the gambling sector.
Sébastien Berret will gladly comment on current topics including gambling firms' practices, gambling-related harms, and gambling policy.
Keywords: gambling, corporate practices, gambling-related harm, policy
Michael Egerer (PhD, title of docent) is a university researcher at CEACG. His research interests address gambling, gambling regulations and the concept of addiction. He is currently studying the transition from terrestrial to online gambling, as well as the online gambling ecosystem. Egerer is an expert in qualitative research methods. He is developing the application of sociological systems theory in the field of addiction and gambling research. Dr Egerer is a senior editor at the Harm Reduction Journal.
Michael Egerer will gladly comment on current topics including online gambling, gambling policy, gambling cultures or qualitative research enquiries.
Keywords: gambling, addiction, regulation, sociology, qualitative research
Sara Havuaho works as a research assistant at CEACG. Currently, she is engaged in a project that examines the relationships between gambling-related indebtedness and various socio-demographic factors, as well as the influence of gambling providers and the type of gambling. Sara is also studying Social and Public Policy at the University of Helsinki. In addition to gambling, her academic interests include substance abuse and addictions in general – particularly societal perceptions of addictions, the reasons behind these perceptions, and how they shape public policies.
Paula Jääskeläinen is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Helsinki. Her dissertation focuses on socio-cultural normalization of gambling using a case example of the Tampere Casino project. Her research interests also includes gambling marketing and regulation.
Paula Jääskeläinen will gladly comment on topics concerning normalization of gambling such as gamblification of sports and gambling marketing on social media.
Keywords: Gambling, gambling marketing, gambling regulation
Veera Kankainen (PhD) is a sociologist and post-doctoral researcher at CEACG. Her research interests include the governance and regulation of addictions, the relationships between different sectors in welfare systems, and stakeholders in drug and gambling policies. Currently, she works on the
Veera Kankainen will gladly comment on current topics concerning to civil society and state relationships in addiction and welfare governance, the rights and representation of people who use alcohol and other drugs in policy-making processes, and qualitative research methods.
Keywords: the third and public sector relationships, beneficiaries of gambling, welfare governance, alcohol and other drugs, service users' rights, qualitative methods
Tom Kettunen is the editor of
Mette Kivistö (M.Soc.Sci) is a project planner at CEACG. Her work includes coordination, communication, stakeholder cooperation, research project administration, research assistance, as well as financial management and human resources of the unit. Mette is happy to assist with any questions or inquiries regarding CEACG's research.
Aino Lahtinen works as a research assistant at CEACG, participating previously on projects concerning assessment tools for gambling regulation and gambling among indebted individuals. She is currently working in the follow-up project about structural prevention of gambling-related indebtedness. This project looks at the relationship between gambling and debt in Finland in relation to the state monopoly Veikkaus and offshore companies by using financial transactions and helpline data. She is also finishing her masters thesis about different harm categories among non- and low-gamblers.
Keywords: gambling regulation, problem gambling, indebtedness
Janne Nikkinen (PhD, title of docent) has over 50 academic publications, including several jointly authored and edited books about gambling. His research interest related to gambling spans a range of issues, from regulatory and policy affairs to the prevention of gambling harm. He is also Chair of the HUS Regional Committee on Medical Research Ethics at the Helsinki University Hospital, Chair of the Professional Ethics Committee of the Association of Finnish Pharmacies and Pharmacists and Vice-Chair of the National Advisory Board on Social Welfare and Health Care Ethics (ETENE).
Paula Rautoja (M.Soc.Sci) is a doctoral researcher in the ERC-funded
Paula Rautoja has comprehensive professional experience in substance abuse services. She will gladly contribute on topics including substance use, addiction, drug and alcohol policy and drug decriminalisation.
Professor emeritus Pekka Sulkunen founded the CEACG group in 2011. He has authored several books on social theory, cultural studies, addictions and preventive social policy, including
Mark Tarplee (M.A. & M.Soc.Sci.) is conducting a PhD in Sociology at the University of Helsinki. His research examines the marketing of online gambling and the online gambling network more generally. He is also a grant-funded researcher at the University of Helsinki Centre for Research on Addiction, Control, and Governance (CEACG), working on projects related to gambling and gambling-related harm. His main research interests include gambling, marketing of gambling, search engine optimisation, and addiction.
Mark Tarplee will gladly comment on current topics including the online marketing of gambling, affiliate marketing of gambling, and gambling-related harm.
Mika Tsupari is a PhD student in the field of sociology. His thesis focuses on psychedelics in Finland from the perspective of set and setting, motives, meanings, the culture linked to psychedelics and well-being of the users. His research interest include drug and addiction research, interactions between groups and individuals, and well-being in general.
Eveliina Väkeväinen works as a research assistant at CEACG, participating in projects related to gambling marketing, regulation, and structural characteristics of gambling products. She is currently working on projects focusing on warning texts in gambling marketing, and gambling advertising on social media in Finland and Sweden. She is also a master's student in sociology at the University of Helsinki and is writing her master's thesis about young adults' perceptions of gambling marketing on social media.
Josefin Westermarck is a PhD student at the University of Helsinki. Her thesis focuses on how vulnerable groups are represented in the preparation of Finnish alcohol law reforms (2018, 1994). She examines alcohol law as a public policy and examines stakeholder activity such as alcohol industry lobbying and public health advocacy strategies as well as detects gaps in the evidence base and knowledge-based tensions in the evidence-base. This is done through qualitative methods such as classical sociological discourse analysis and political theory framework such as Advocacy coalition framework.