finnish problem gamblers and the welfare state: a qualitative ......17.9.2014 2 (raento &...

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

Finnish problem gamblers and the

welfare state: A qualitative research

of (financial) welfare support for

problem gambling

EASG Conference

Helsinki

August 12, 2014

17.9.2014 1

17.9.2014 2

(Raento & Meuronen 2011, 112)

‘Give me a mark! – See, we got bingo, lottery,

sports, slots, scratch cards, and whatever

other gimmicks . . . and now that joker.

There’s no way to make my pension last!’ (RaimoR in Keskisuomalainen, 20 January 1978).

17.9.2014 3 Valtiotieteellinen tiedekunta / Maria Heiskanen

(Koski-Jännes et al. 2013)


• Background

• Questions

• Data and Methods

• Analysis and Results

• Discussion

17.9.2014 4

Contents


Background

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• Is gambling problem receiving sufficient attention

from social work?

• Rogers (2013a, 2013b): Still a hidden problem,

especially in social work

• Griffiths (2013): Knowledge has reached several fields

• Finnish social workers are concerned about the

harm to others of problem gambling, and think that

the society is too individualized and gambling

problems emerge easily (Egerer, 2013)

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Positioning problem gambling

on the field of social work


• Social democratic welfare state: redistribution of economic resources, universalism and solidarity

• Benefits on national level: unemployment allowance, study grant, maternity benefit etc.

• More individual social services on municipal level: social assistance, social work, counseling etc.

• Social assistance (also income support or living allowance) is a last-resort financial allowance with a purpose to secure the livelihood of individuals and families

• Other services in financial troubles: social loans, money and debt advisers, restructuring debts

• Retrenchments in the welfare services: economic inequality is growing and social security for the most disadvantaged groups has become smaller


Social welfare services in

Finland


• (1) What practical measures of social services

problem gamblers use, and what are proposed by

the social service directors?

• (2) How do problem gamblers and social service

directors perceive gambling problem in relation to

social welfare?


Questions


Data and methods

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• 17 interviews of problem gamblers

• 12 males, five females, average age 42 (youngest 25 years and oldest 70)

• 10 working: two in management and eight in blue-collar positions

• Seven not working: university students, old age pensioners, on disability pension, unemployed, in rehabilitation work

• Recruited from gambling treatment facilities

• Played different games

• The interviews covered the gambling history, developing of the problem and experiences related to it and the treatment and help sought and got


Two qualitative interview sets:

problem gamblers


• Nine e-mail interviews and one telephone interview of social service directors in Finnish cities

• Worked in administrations and were responsible for social services or social work

• Ages between 44 and 62

• Most had background education in social sciences

• They were asked what kind of phenomenon problem gambling in Finland is from their perspective, what should be done and to what kind of societal and cultural change they attach it

• Both interview sets were analyzed with thematic content analysis


Two qualitative interview sets:

social service directors


Analysis and results

17.9.2014 Valtiotieteellinen tiedekunta / Maria Heiskanen 12


• Financial allowances before, during and after the

gambling problem

“(…) when I get the [monthly] unemployment benefit,

and I have debts, of course, and the benefit is not very

high, so after receiving the benefit, some time passes

and I start to think, again, for what the money is

enough. Then comes the thought, I will go and try to

get more money from the gambling machine”

Problem gambler, male, 60 years


Experiences


• Control

• A trustee or a service account: social services or some given person manages and is partly or entirely responsible of the gambler’s incomes and expenditures

The control of money is removed from the gambler

‘(…) it is better this way, to prevent relapses. And I have more secured feeling; I don’t trust myself in these things.’ Problem gambler, female, 40 years

• Debts: counseling, restructuring

• Barriers: too high incomes, challenges facing in social services


Experiences


• ‘Naturally we have to assure the livelihood of the customer despite the gambling problem, but the situation needs attention and it is important to think solutions for the gambling problem.’

Director of social work, male, 62 years

• ‘In my opinion social assistance should not be paid if the money is used in gambling.’

Director of social services, female, 50 years

• ‘Especially for families with children, the preventive social assistance is needed so that they can keep their apartment.’

Director of social work, female, 52 years


Perceptions


• The social service directors felt strongly that especially the

gambling of underprivileged groups results from the wish

to “keep up the appearances” in the contemporary

consumer society

‘It is certain, from my perspective, that this kind of harsh

gambling is often related to attempts to finance the life, so

that it would be possible to raise the living standards just a

little, from what it is when you have received only income

support for a long time’

Director of social work, female, 52 years


Perceptions


• Some problem gamblers said they had not “asked”

for any societal help, that it was a “matter of honor”

for them or that they “had decided” to survive on

their own

‘When the public economy faces retrenchments, this

kind of work is not primary. The money is rather

allocated for the services of children and elderly. The

grown-ups are seen to be responsible of themselves

and the troubles they have caused to themselves.’

Director of social services, female, 55 years


Perceptions


Continuum of problem gambling

and social welfare



• In a strong welfare state like Finland, problem gamblers

can receive financial help from the society

• More restrictive financial measures can also be

considered, e.g. a trustee

• Different measures available for people with different size

of incomes

• More (quantitative) research needed about the

extent of social welfare among problem gamblers


Discussion


Thank you!

Maria Heiskanen

PhD Student

Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki

[email protected]

+358 40 7720 424


mailto:[email protected]


Bernhard, B. J. (2007) The voices of vices: Sociological perspectives on the

pathological gambling entry in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental

disorders. American Behavioral Scientist, 51, 8–32. doi:10.1177/0002764207304869

Egerer, M. (2013). Problem drinking, gambling and eating – three problems, one

understanding? A qualitative comparison between French and Finnish social workers.

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 30, 67–86. doi:10.2478/nsad-2013-0006

Griffiths, M. (2013). Gambling in Great Britain: A Response to Rogers. Practice: Social

Work in Action 25 (4), 251-262.

Korn, D., Gibbins, R. & Azmier, J. (2003). Framing Public Policy Towards a Public

Health Paradigm of Gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies 19 (2), 235-256.

Raento, P. & Meuronen, M. (2011). Virtues of visualisation: gambling in Finnish editorial

cartoons. International Gambling Studies 11(1), 107-120.

Rogers, J. (2013a). Problem Gambling: A Suitable Case for Social Work? Practice:

Social Work in Action 25 (1), 41-60.

Rogers, J. (2013b). Gambling and Social Work: Response to Griffiths. Practice: Social

Work in Action 25 (4), 263-267.


References

finnish problem gamblers and the welfare state: a qualitative ......17.9.2014 2 (raento &...

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