A Kent research project reviewing the laws governing bingo across the world features in a national magazine showcasing the breadth of research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
The Bingo Project is highlighted in Britain in 2015, the ESRC’s annual flagship magazine, as one of a handful of research issues of particular concern in 2015.
The three-year £0.5m research project is being led by Dr Kate Bedford, Reader in Law at Kent Law School. Dr Bedford is working on the project with stock market regulation expert, Dr Oscar Alvarez-Macotela and critical consumer finance law expert Professor Toni Williams.
In the article, entitled ‘Lucky for some’, Dr Bedford reveals a personal connection to the game: ‘I’ve played bingo since I was a child and it has been part of the fabric of my family’s life. Our first family holiday was at a caravan park in South Wales: on the last night my mum won the full house game in the bingo so we got the same holiday for free the next year.’
The game’s player base is dominated by older working class women, a fact which helped inspire Dr Bedford’s research: ‘The game can play a very important role in women’s everyday lives, not just in terms of winning but in terms of going out, socialising and staying connected to family.’
Research work on The Bingo Project began in September 2013 with an exploration of the impact of recent changes made to UK gambling laws. Incorporating extensive field work, the project is now examining the regulation of Bingo in Canada, Brazil and the European Union.
Dr Bedford and her team hope to learn more about the key legal and policy challenges involved in regulating bingo in different places, as they are experienced by people who are involved in the bingo sector.
Follow the team’s progress on The Bingo Project website or on Twitter. Copies of Britain in 2015 are available from high street stores, with back issues being made available, in due course, on the ESRC website.
