I’ve been awarded a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship, starting on 1st September 2025. The project is entitled “Gambling on Political Futures: Geographies of Political Betting”. Here’s a brief summary:
“Political betting is a growing market of the trillion-dollar global gambling industry. UK consumers are placing more and more bets on elections, making it an ideal case-study of a global phenomenon. This research examines the geographies of political betting, how the gambling industry imagines political futures, and the role of political betting advertising. There is an urgent need to better understand this topic: first, gambling is a critical public health issue; second, because of the worrying rise of ‘insider knowledge’ bets during the UK’s 2024 General Election; and finally, for the future of democracy we must understand how political betting potentially contributes to political outcomes. Prof. Mills will map gambling markets connected to political events and candidates, analyse secondary data including gambling adverts, and conduct interviews with vital stakeholders. The research will advance academic knowledge and public understanding on this underexamined topic, providing critical insights into gambling on political futures.”
I can’t wait to start this new research based at Loughborough University, and will be posting updates on this site in due course…
Professor Sarah Mills 
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