The UK Gambling Commission has appointed two new members to the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG), Dr Virve Marionneau and Dr Spencer Murch.

Anna van der Gaag, Chair of ABSG, said: “We are very fortunate to have Virve and Spencer as our newest members.

“They are highly respected academics, both with a strong record of achievement in the field of gambling studies, and together they will expand the national and international research expertise we offer to the Commission. Gambling is a global business and the regulatory challenges faced in different jurisdictions have much in common. I am delighted to be welcoming them and have no doubt they will bring valuable new insights to an ever-expanding range of topics which inform policy and practice in gambling regulation.”

Dr Marionneau is a sociologist and the director of the Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Her research focuses on a wide range of gambling-related topics, including regulations and policy evaluations, digital gambling environments, gambling industry practices and qualitative investigation of gambling experiences and harms.

She said: “I am honoured to join the ABSG, especially at a time when increasing international and cross-sector collaboration is needed to regulate and control gambling. I am thrilled to be a part of this impressive team of experts, and I look forward to advising particularly on regulatory practices and research from other jurisdictions.”

Dr Murch is a cognitive psychologist and AGRI Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary, Canada. His work seeks to:

• understand the cognitive, behavioural and psychophysiological profiles of addictive digital product use

• explore new opportunities for improving human health by using emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to detect, intervene and ultimately prevent gambling-related problems.

He said: “I am eager to contribute to such a talented team as the ABSG. As AI technologies and digital gambling opportunities continue to evolve, it is more important than ever to understand clearly the threats posed to human health in the United Kingdom and around the world. The mandate of this group is important, timely, and represents an opportunity to transform research insights into working harm prevention policies.”