I have been a member of the Board of directors of the Swedish Gambling Authority for nearly seven years. However, I have chosen to leave this position and today, March 31, is my final day at the Board.
Seven years is a quite long time and every board like this benefits from renewal. For my own part, I have learnt much about gambling regulation and have very much appreciated the company of and the discussions with the other board members. But being involved in this way in gambling regulation has taken time and energy.
Moreover, being member of the board of directors of a state regulatory authority requires strict neutrality – more than what is expected of independent academics. This has constrained what I have found appropriate to write and say in public about Swedish gambling policy. From now on, I feel that I have more leeway in suggesting how evidence from gambling studies can inform policy here in Sweden.
New member of the Board of directors at the Swedish Gambling Authority is Håkan Wall, psychologist at the Research Centre for Psycho-Social Health in Stockholm and director of the National helpline for problem gamblers.
