“Vi är King av Casino - och är man ett kungligt spelbolag måste man även ta ett kungligt ansvar” : En fallstudie om spelbolaget LeoVegas sociala ansvar i sitt externa kommunikationsarbete

Online gambling related problems is a growing societal problem. Hence, the online gambling companies are meeting increased pressure to take social responsibility for their impact. In this way, a paradox is created between making money from increased gambling and reducing gambling addiction. This thesis examines how a Swedish online gambling company, LeoVegas, works with social responsibility (CSR) and how they present this work in their external communication. Furthermore, the thesis examines if working with social responsibility can give gambling companies legitimacy. The theoretical framework for this study consists of Max Weber’s Concepts of legitimacy, Mark C. Suchman’s legitimacy theory and corporate social responsibility. The method used for this thesis was a semi-structured interview with two employees at LeoVegas and a content analysis of LeoVegas external communication. The results show that LeoVegas takes its social responsibility in its external communication based on what is expected of a licensed gambling company. The social responsibility can be seen in the form of communicating help tools to gambling users who exhibit unhealthy gambling behavior, and through CSR commitment to prove to be a serious gambling company in the industry. The conclusion for the study is that despite active work with CSR, gambling companies can not be seen as fully responsible for society due to the negative impact the product has on so many individuals. On the other hand, it will be beneficial for a gambling company to actively show its CSR-commitment in its external communication in order to be considered legitimate by the public. This study is relevant because it contributes with a more in depth knowledge within the field and the gambling industry, which affects a lot of individuals in different ways