The European gambling market, with annual revenues exceeding €80 billion and projected to grow to €122 billion by 2025, is a rapidly expanding sector. Despite this growth, there remains a gap in scientific understanding and research within this entertainment domain.
Addressing this need, the Research Hub ALEA has been established to bridge the gap between research, regulatory policies, and business practices in the gambling, gaming, betting, and lottery industries. This initiative is unique in the EU, where gambling services are experiencing steady growth. ALEA aims to align research and industry practices with the technological advancements of the 21st century.
The Hub’s mission is to facilitate discussions among experts in various disciplines including economics, marketing, psychology, sociology, and law. Its goal is to enhance understanding of gambler behavior, assess the societal impact of gambling, and offer training for employees in the gambling sector.
The Research Hub ALEA will build upon existing research in areas such as market trends in gambling services, the impact of gambling, technology utilization, gambling statistics, and legal regulation. It will focus on evidence-based gambling policy, continue exploring causes of irresponsible gambling, and develop prevention strategies. Collaborating with academic institutions and recognized experts across EU countries, the Hub is poised to make significant contributions to the field.
ALEA extends an invitation to institutions and professionals in the gambling services sector to engage in cooperation, information exchange, and joint project initiatives within EU countries. This collaborative approach is expected to drive forward meaningful advancements in understanding and regulating the iGaming industry.
Gediminas Navaitis, PhD, Professor, Head of the Research Hub ALEA, said: “We have brought together specialists with many years of experience in the field of gambling, who have provided consultancy services to companies in Lithuania and other countries, and have created an exceptional research and information resource based on the research of gambling, betting and lotteries, which will promote responsible gambling, prevent addiction and help improve the legal regulation of gambling services. The multidisciplinary composition of the Hub’s team reflects the multidisciplinary nature of gambling.
The Hub ALEA aims to be a leader in research on the economic and social impacts of lotteries, betting and gambling. This ambitious goal is based on the objectivity, independence and high standard of our existing research.”
