Call for Papers: Gambling, Prediction Markets and Public Policy

                            CALL FOR PAPERS

                SYMPOSIUM OF THE SOUTHERN ECONOMIC JOURNAL

             GAMBLING, PREDICTION MARKETS AND PUBLIC POLICY

                      Link to conference page at:

http://www.ntu.ac.uk/ntu_business_school/news_events/events/210408.html

              Abstract Submission Due Date: May 23, 2008
                Symposium Dates: September 15/16, 2008

                     To be held in Nottingham, UK


      GUEST EDITORS:

      Donald Siegel, University of California, Riverside
      David Paton, Nottingham University Business School
      Leighton Vaughan Williams, Nottingham Business School,
      Nottingham Trent University
      William Ziemba, University of British Columbia


      INTRODUCTION:

      In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in
      expenditure on various forms of gambling and prediction
      markets, including casinos, sports betting, lotteries,
      wagering on financial instruments. The rapid growth in this
      activity has heightened interest in a variety of public
      policy issues related to this sector. Managers and
      policymakers seek guidance on how to tax and regulate this
      activity within regions, countries, and across national
      borders. Unfortunately, there is little systematic
      theoretical and empirical evidence to guide such decisions,
      given the somewhat embryonic nature of the literature.
      Furthermore, gambling and prediction markets provide a
      unique and convenient framework within which to examine
      fundamental issues relating to traditional areas of
      economics. For these reasons, this is an opportune time to
      address questions relating to gambling and prediction
      markets in a special issue of the Southern Economic
      Journal.

      The conference is also being held in association with the
      Journal of Prediction Markets -
      http://www.predictionmarketjournal.com, and the Journal of
      Gambling Business and Economics - http://www.jgbe.com, and
      papers presented at the conference may, at the discretion
      of the authors, also be considered for publication in
      either of these journals.


      RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

      Some research questions that contributors to the symposium
      might address are:

      - What is the optimal level and structure of taxation for
        various forms of gambling?
      - What are the implications of new forms of financial
        instruments based on gambling principles, such as
        'spread' (index) betting, binary betting, and person-to-
        person 'exchange' betting?
      - How does the growth of gambling affect the broader
        economy?
      - What factors influence productivity and other performance
        indicators in the gambling sector?
      - Does gambling promote economic development?
      - How should governments regulate 'Indian' gaming?
      - What are the managerial and policy implications of online
        gambling?
      - How can prediction markets be used in decision-making?
      - Are there systematic biases in betting and prediction
        markets?
      - How well do prediction markets relative to other
        forecasting tools, such as opinion polls?
      - What is the optimal design of prediction markets?
      - What are the applications of prediction markets?
      - What is the empirical evidence on information efficiency
        in betting markets and what implications does this have
        for our broader understanding of financial and prediction
        markets?

      Papers on related issues not explicitly listed above are
      also very welcome.


      SUBMISSION AND REVIEW PROCESS:

      Submissions (an abstract will be sufficient at this stage)
      should be made on or before May 23, 2008. After the
      symposium, selected papers will be externally reviewed
      according to standard policies of the Southern Economic
      Journal. Papers (or abstracts) should be submitted to:

      CONTACT:       Prof. Leighton Vaughan Williams
      Email:         MAILTO:Leighton.Vaughan-Williams@ntu.ac.uk


      CONFERENCE DETAILS AND TIME LINE:

      The special issue conference will now be held at Nottingham
      Business School, Nottingham Trent University on September
      15 and September 16, 2008, with a welcome reception on
      Sunday, September 14. The registration fee is British Pound
      235 + VAT, to include the conference dinner and refreshments,
      or British Pound 375 + VAT to also include two nights'
      accommodation at the "Days Hotel" in Nottingham. Delegates
      not presenting papers for consideration in the special
      issue are also welcome to attend the conference at the
      advised rates.


      TENTATIVE TIME LINE:

      May 23, 2008        Deadline for electronic submission of
                          abstracts or papers to the Symposium
      June 15, 2008       Notification to authors regarding
                          acceptance to the Symposium Conference
      September 15, 2008  Symposium at Nottingham Business
                          School, Nottingham Trent University
      January 2009        Final decisions on papers for Special
                          Issue


      REGISTRATION:

      To register, or if you have any conference queries, please
      contact:

      CONTACT:       Julie Stravino
                     Nottingham Trent University
      Email:         MAILTO:julie.stravino@ntu.ac.uk
Posted 5/2/08