Marionneau Virve, Järvinen-Tassopoulos Johanna
Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre for Research on Addictions, Control, and Governance, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
Front Psychol. 2022 Jan 20;12:788586. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.788586. eCollection 2021.
Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) are among the most harmful forms of gambling. The structural characteristics of EGMs prolong and reinforce gambling similarly to other habit-forming technologies. In Finland, the wide availability of EGMs in non-casino locations is likely to further reinforce the habit-creating nature of gambling offer by incorporating EGMs into everyday practices. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of gambling in Finland. The most visible change was the closure of land-based EGMs in non-casino environments, arcades, and the casino in March 2020. Since then, the status of EGMs has varied depending on the pandemic situation. The current qualitative study focuses on how Finnish past-year gamblers experience prolonged EGM closures and occasional re-openings 1 year into the pandemic. The data consist of responses to an online questionnaire eliciting experiences ( = 187) as well as interviews ( = 27, conducted in groups or alone). To aid our analysis, we employ the sociological pragmatist theory of the concept of "habit." The analysis focuses on gambler experiences on EGM shutdowns and re-openings, and views on whether closures have contributed to abstaining from gambling or to shifting to other gambling products. Policy implications of the results are discussed.
电子赌博机（EGMs）是最有害的赌博形式之一。与其他成瘾性技术类似，电子赌博机的结构特征会延长并强化赌博行为。在芬兰，非赌场场所广泛配备电子赌博机，通过将其融入日常活动，可能会进一步强化赌博活动的成瘾性。新冠疫情改变了芬兰的赌博格局。最明显的变化是2020年3月非赌场环境、游乐场和赌场中的实体电子赌博机关闭。自那时起，电子赌博机的状况随疫情形势而变化。当前的定性研究聚焦于芬兰过去一年的赌徒如何体验电子赌博机在疫情爆发一年后长期关闭及偶尔重新开放的情况。数据包括对一份征集体验的在线问卷的回复（n = 187）以及访谈（n = 27，以小组或单独形式进行）。为辅助分析，我们运用了关于“习惯”概念的社会学实用主义理论。分析聚焦于赌徒对电子赌博机关闭和重新开放的体验，以及关于关闭是否有助于戒赌或转向其他赌博产品的观点。讨论了研究结果的政策含义。
