Olof Molander

GARN (Gambling Research Network) was formed in 2012 with the purpose to develop a meeting place for both new and more experienced researchers within the gambling field in Sweden. The activities have been focused on developing cooperation between different research environments as well as promoting and encouraging ongoing and new gambling research. In this way, GARN plays an important role in stimulating, strengthening and consolidating gambling research in Sweden.The network is open to anyone who conducts research where gambling is seen as a social, cultural and/or psychological phenomenon, or investigates the effects of gambling for society as a whole and/or for the individual. An important principle of GARN is the independence from companies and organizations with financial interests in the gambling sector.If funded, GARN will organize two-day networking meetings once a year. The meetings will, as previous years, include scientific presentations held by network members and invited speakers, discussions on methodology, prevention, regulation, and ongoing research within the network, common research applications and study visits. As previously, the responsibility to organize the network meetings will alternate between research environments.On the basis of previous meetings in 2013–2023, we are counting on 25–30 participants each meeting, which is a large part of the active gambling researchers in Sweden today. The network members will be able to communicate with each other via the network´s common email list. In that way, everyone can update each other about seminars, conferences, literature, research projects, vacancies and other things that may be of interest to network members. The network will also increase the dissemination of knowledge about Swedish gambling research to a larger audience by producing an external newsletter each semester, summarizing the current studies of GARN researchers with implications for policy and practice.