About
My economics education began, a long time ago now, as an undergraduate here at Liverpool. Subsequently I received my doctoral training in the University of Western Ontario and spent much of my teaching and research career in the University of Salford. There I developed interests in applying economics and econometrics to two fields in particular, sport and gambling. I may claim to have authored some key articles in the development of sports economics and my research has appeared in international journals, covering issues like demand modelling, determinants of sporting success, managerial dismissals, international player migration and referee bias. In the field of gambling, I made early contributions to the literature on lottery demand and my publications since then cover topics as diverse as the efficiency of betting markets, regulatory issues, problem gambling and match fixing for betting gain.
At Liverpool I continue research in these fields in the company of the lively group of sports scholars in the Management School. I serve on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Sports Economics. I am Honorary Professor in Macau Polytechnic Institute which is located in the gambling capital of the World. I work regularly on anti-match fixing policy with organisations such as the Gambling Commission, UEFA, Interpol and player unions. I have served two terms as a member of the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, appointed by the Gambling Commission to advise it and the Government on gambling policy with a particular brief to mitigate harm associated with gambling. I have recently co-authored (with Liverpool Colleague, Professor Ian McHale) a major Report on online gambling in Great Britain as a contribution to this debate. I also adopt a high media profile in an attempt to increase public understanding of issues in the worlds of sport and of gambling and have presented keynote addresses at industry and academic conferences in many countries.