Gambling Cultures: Studies In History And Interpretation (culture: Policy And Politics)

A study of modern gambling as it has emerged as a commercial industry, which analyzes the ambiguous relationship between morality and risk taking and examines the contradictory stances of governments. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Series Title......Page 3 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 8 CONTRIBUTORS......Page 9 INTRODUCTION......Page 11 1 UNDERSTANDING GAMBLING......Page 16 2 GAMBLING AND THE LEGALISATION OF VICE......Page 50 3 SOCIAL EVIL OR SOCIAL GOOD?......Page 70 4 ILLEGAL BETTING IN BRITAIN AND AUSTRALIA......Page 89 5 WHEN IT’S BAD IT’S BETTER......Page 103 6 REPRESENTATIONS OF GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIAN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 117 7 BINGO IN BRITAIN......Page 135 8 WHY ‘SLOTS’ EQUALS ‘GRIND’ IN ANY LANGUAGE......Page 150 9 GAMBLING IN CAMEROON AND SENEGAL......Page 163 10 THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE EXPANSION AND GROWTH OF COMMERCIAL GAMBLING IN THE USA......Page 174 11 A SIGN OF THE TIMES......Page 192 12 THE MEDICALISATION OF GAMBLING AS AN ‘ADDICTION’......Page 214 13 ETHICAL AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS IN THE SPREAD OF COMMERCIAL GAMBLING......Page 232 14 FROM GLAMOUR TO GRIND......Page 250 15 OBJECTIVES AND SYSTEMS IN THE REGULATION OF COMMERCIAL GAMBLING......Page 273 INDEX......Page 295 "What are the relations between cultural policies and cultural politics? Too often, none at all. In the history of cultural studies so far, there has been no shortage of discussion of cultural politics. Only rarely, however, have such discussions taken account of the policy instruments through which cultural activities and institutions are funded and regulated in the mundane politics of bureaucratic and corporate life. Culture : Policies and Politics addresses this imbalance. The books in this series interrogate the role of culture in the organization of social relations of power, including those of class, nation, ethnicity and gender. They also explore the ways in which political agendas in these areas are related to, and shaped by, policy processes and outcomes. In its commitment to the need for a fuller and clearer policy calculus in the cultural sphere, Culture : Policies and Politics aims to promote a significant transformation in the political ambit and orientation of cultural studies and related fields."--Résumé de l'éditeur From bingo in the United Kingdom to slots in Las Vegas and Sydney and 'jambo' in Cameroon, gambling is a feature of societies across the world. Gambling Cultures explores the complex relationship between cash and culture as gambling emerges as a global phenomenon. Traditional accounts of gambling's pleasures and dangers talk in terms of addiction, compulsion, greed and profit. By contrast, this work focuses on modern gambling as it has emerged as a commercial industry, analyses the ambiguous relationship between morality and risk taking and looks at the contradictory stance of governments. Providing a range of case studies from Africa, Australia, the USA and Europe, Gambling Cultures offers a unique, comparative framework for the historical and cultural analysis of contemporary gambling practices. From bingo in the United Kingdom to slots in Las Vegas and Sydney, to `jambo'in Cameroon, gambling is a feature of societies across the world. Gambling Cultures explores the complex relationship between cash and culture as gambling emerges as a global phenomenon. Traditional accounts of gambling's pleasures and dangers talk in terms of addiction, compulsion, greed and profit. By contrast, this work focuses on modern gambling as it has emerged as a commercial industry, analyzing the ambiguous relationship between morality and risk taking and studies the contradictory stance of governments. Providing a range of case studies from Africa, Australia, the USA and Europe, Gambling Cultures offers a unique, comparative framework for the historical and cultural analysis of contemporary gambling practices.