In English

Contact information

Head of Gambling Harm Prevention Unit at EHYT Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention. PhD in Social Sciences (economic and social history, University of Helsinki)

A former postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Consumer Society Research at the University of Helsinki

Tel:
+358-40-707 6960

Email:
riitta.matilainen(at)ehyt.fi

More information can be found here: https://tuhat.halvi.helsinki.fi/portal/fi/persons/riitta-matilainen(b0071efa-8dee-47da-9ad6-126dc8d7f056).html

Research interests

  • Historical gambling studies and methodology of gambling research
  • Consumer studies and the Finnish consumer society
  • Moral economy of Germany in the 20th century
  • Alcohol history and temperance movement

Publications in English

Heiskanen, Maria & Matilainen, Riitta: Baby boomers as gamblers: recognizing and preventing gambling harm with intersectional approach. Public Health. 2020 Jul;184:5-10.doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.04.020. Epub 2020 Jun 7.

How to further historical gambling research in conferences? A conference report from the 12th SNSUS conference in Tampere, Finland, 3-5 June 2019, 193-196. «Ludica. Annali di storia e civiltà del gioco» 25, 2019.

Productionand consumption of recreational gambling in twentieth-century Finland. Summary of PhD. Department of Political and Economic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki 2017.

Cultural and Social Meanings of Gambling in Finland and Sweden: A Historical Perspective. In Random Riches. Gambling Past & Present. Edited by Manfred Zollinger. Routledge 2016, pp. 119-131.

Oral history data in gambling studies. In Gambling in Finland. Themes and Data for Qualitative Research. Edited by Pauliina Raento. Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2014, pp. 153-172.

Matilainen, Riitta & Raento, Pauliina: Learning to gamble in changing sociocultural contexts: experiences of Finnish casual gamblers. International Gambling Studies 2014. DOI: 10.1080/14459795.2014.923484

The Legalizing of Roulette and Changes in Finnish Consumer Culture in the 1960s and 1970s. In Finnish Consumption: An Emerging Consumer Society between East and West. Edited by Visa Heinonen and Matti Peltonen. SKS. Helsinki, 2013., pp. 180-202.

Gambling and Consumption. The Hidden Value of Historical Perspectives in Forum: The Value of Gambling and Its Research in Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society 36(1) Spring 2011, pp. 89-91.

“Doing the pools became so important that a Saturday night was unthinkable without it”. Gambling and gamblers’ experiences in XX century Finland. Ludica, annali di storia e civiltà del gioco, 12, 2006. Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche/Viella, pp. 137 – 146.

A Question of Money? The Founding of Two Finnish Gambling Monopolies. pp. 21-37. In the book Global Gambling. Cultural Perspectives on Gambling Organizations. Edited by Sytze F. Kingma. Routledge 2009.

Papers and presentations in English

YEAR 2019

Why historical perspective is needed in gambling studies? Discussion: Identifying future avenues for cross Nordic and comparative research. State regulation and societal handling of problematic gambling: Nordic Gambling Research Network – Gambling in Context (GAMIC). Stockholm October 15,2019.

Riitta Matilainen and Maria Heiskanen: Baby boomers as gamblers: the role of societal regulation in the taming of Finnish gambling. State regulation and societal handling of problematic gambling: Nordic Gambling Research Network – Gambling in Context (GAMIC). Stockholm October 14,.2019.

Addictions as market violence: How do class and gender resonate in the understanding of gambling addiction? A the Market violence! Consumers as the mercy of markets, Centre for Consumer Society Research, University of Helsinki, Finland, June 6, 2019.

Why is historical comparative research needed in gambling studies? At the 12th SNSUS Conference “Nordic interfaces – gambling and gaming from research to practise”, Tampere, Finland, June 3-5, 2019.

The Change and Stability of Moral Discourses and Practices of Gambling and
Tobacco Smoking in Finland, Sweden, and Germany. At the 17th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking, UNLV International Gaming Institute, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, May 27-30, 2019.

YEAR 2018

Addiction and history. At the seminar Is addiction the new black? – An introductory seminar to the philosophy of addiction. Organized by The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa/psychiatry. Helsinki, Finland, 13.12.2018

Doing research on (historical) illegal gambling: Methodological questions. At the 12th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues. Valletta, Malta, 14.9.2018.

All Male Club?: Illegal Gambling in Helsinki in the 1950s-1990s. At the 14th Conference of European Association for Urban History: Urban Renewal and Resilience. Cities in Comparative Perspective. Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy, September 1, 2018.

How to study gambling, illegal gambling activities, and gambling systems by historical means. CEACG seminar “Studying society through lifestyle regulation”, University of Helsinki, Finland, May 25, 2018.

YEAR 2017

Heiskanen, Maria & Matilainen, Riitta: Finnish baby boomers as gamblers: Recognizing and preventing risks for problem gambling through intersectionality in gambling studies. SNSUS (Stiftelsen Nordiska Sällskapet för Upplysning om Spelberoende) conference in Odense, Denmark, May 31, 2017.

YEAR 2016

Class, gender, intersectionality: gambling experiences of the Finnish baby boomers of the 1940s and early 1950s. A joint project with MA (Soc.Sci) Maria Heiskanen. 16th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking organised by University of Nevada, Las Vegas, June 8. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

YEAR 2015

Production and consumption of recreational gambling in the 20th century Finland. A presentation at the Gambling, Politics and Social Issues – International Research Conference. National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland. September 22, 2015.

YEAR 2014

History and varieties of gambling, gambling regulation and the rise of the gambling industry. A presentation at the Gambling, Science and Public Policy workshop in Hotel Korpilampi, Espoo, Finland.  September 16, 2014.

A historical perspective on cultural and social meanings of gambling in Finland and Sweden. A presentation at the 10th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues. 9-12 September 2014. Hilton Kalastajatorppa, Helsinki, Finland.

YEAR 2013

Cultural and social meanings of gambling in the Nordic countries: a historical perspective.  Random Riches. Gambling and Speculation in Perspective. Interdisciplinary workshop, May 23-24, 2013. WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Austria.

YEAR 2012

The Introduction of the Legal Roulette and the Changing Finnish Consumer Culture in the 1960s and 1970s. DIGRA Nordic 2012, University of Tampere, Finland. Gambling Research Track 1: Gambling Games in Culture and Society/June 7, 2012.

A comment on Per Binde’s presentation in the seminar “Gambling and consumption: why people gamble” by the Finnish Association for Consumer Research, Helsinki, 10.5.2012. Responsible for organizing the seminar.

Cultures of Gambling: Recent Findings and Future Perspectives. Session Historical Drivers of Commercial Gambling I at the European Social Science History Conference in Glasgow 13.4.2012, University of Glasgow, Scotland, The United Kingdom.

Session organizer with Sytze F. Kingma in the European Social Science History Conference in Glasgow April 11 – 14, 2012. Sessions: Historical Drivers of Commercial Gambling I and II. Chair of the session Historical Drivers of Commercial Gambling II 13.4.2012, University of Glasgow, Scotland, The United Kingdom.

(Historical) Gambling Studies – An Example of A New Multi-Disciplinary Approach Taking Shape. A presentation held at the Finnish-Russian Workshop “Methodological Issues of Economic and Social Issues”, 7.-8.3.2012.The presentation took place March 2012, 8 at the University of Helsinki.

YEAR 2011

A poster called “Lifestyles of Finnish Gamblers in the Light of Elicited Written Data” presented at the seminar “Gambling, Public Policy, and Health” organized by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland, 29.9.2011.

Session organizer and chair in the SNSUS Conference The 8th Nordic Conference on Prevalence, Prevention, Treatment and Responsible Gaming, June 13-15th 2011, Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, Reykjavik, Iceland. The session was called “Historical Constructions of Gambling”.

YEAR 2010

The Experiental Turn and the Use of Elicited Written Data in Gambling Studies: Finnish Gamblers from the 1920s to the 1970s. 23.9.2010, Conference on Gambling, Entertainment, and Finance September 22-24,2010, Gotland University, Visby, Sweden.

The roulette as a symbol of Western and continental way of life in Finland in the 1960s and 1970s. 16.9.2010. 8th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues organised by the European Association for the Study of Gambling. September 14-17 2010, Vienna, Austria.

The Introduction of the Roulette and the Changing Consumer Culture in Finland in the 1960s and 1970s. 11.5.2010, Finnish Anthropology Conference 2010, Helsinki, Finland.

The roulette as a symbol of Western and continental way of life in Finland in the 1960s and 1970s. 14.4.2010, The 8th European Social Science History Conference, Ghent, from 13 April to 16 April 2010. Material and Consumer Culture Network. Session “Experiences of Chance, Motivation and Risk in Gambling”. Session organized by Riitta Matilainen.

YEAR 2009

Lotteries and Gambling in Finland in the 18th and 19th centuries. A presentation held in an informal research meeting hosted by the Finnish Foundation for Gaming Research in Helsinki on October 27, 2009, University of Helsinki.

Changing Perception of Gambling in Finland from the 1920s to the 1970s. 14th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking. Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA. 25.-29.5.2009.

YEAR 2008

Changing Perception of Gambling in Finland from the 1920s to the 1970s, 17.9.2008, Transformation of consumer society (KUMU) seminar. University of Helsinki, Finland. Commentator Prof. Frank Trentmann.

Changing Perception of Gambling in Finland from the 1920s to the 1970s, 15.8.2008, Morals and institutional change workshop, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Consumer dreams of Finnish gamblers in the era of emerging consumer society, 16.5.2008, Transformation of consumer society (KUMU) seminar. Commentator Prof. Anne Murcott.

Consumer dreams of Finnish gamblers in the era of an emerging consumer society, 1.3.2008, European Social Science History Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.

YEAR 2007

Finnish gamblers in the era of an emerging consumer society from the 1940s to the 1970s, 27.9.2007, Economic Convergence of Small Peripheral Countries in the post-Second World War. Examples of Finland, Ireland and Portugal Workshop, Helsinki, September 27-29, 2007, University of Helsinki, Finland.

Finnish gamblers in the era of an emerging consumer society from the 1940s to the 1970, ESTER Research Design Course 4-6 September 2007, 5.9.2007, Sorbonne, France.

Founding of two Finnish gambling monopolies in 1938 and in 1940: some introductory remarks, , 27.8.2007, Russian-Finnish Economic History Workshop Aug 27-28, 2007 Moscow Lomonosov State University, Center for Economic History, Russia.

YEAR 2006

Experiences of Finnish gamblers in an emerging consumer society and usefulness of oral-history type material, 15.11.2006, Memory and Narration – Oral History Research in the Northern European Context, Helsinki, Finland.

Gaming and gamers’ experiences in an emerging Finnish consumer society, 22.8.2006, XIV International Economic History Congress, Helsinki, Finland.

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