Gambling

Since the late-twentieth century, commercial gambling has become increasingly popular as a mass form of leisure and consumption, albeit one that is often controversial and subject to criticism.

In the past fifty years, gambling has undergone a profound transformation. For much of its history, it was regarded as economically marginal and politically corrupt and was criticized by organized religions as an immoral vice. Games of chance (with the occasional exception of lotteries) were viewed as wasteful and often deviant, and legislation was designed to strictly limit their consumption, particularly among lower socioeconomic groups. Despite this, gambling was nevertheless popular and was often carried out illegally.

From around the mid-twentieth century, however, a gradual shift from prohibition to regulation saw a more pragmatic approach to gambling, which encouraged the development of gambling as a form of mass consumption. Since the 1980s, in particular, socioeconomic and cultural changes have meant that the gambling industry has undergone a period of dramatic liberalization and deregulation. Economic policies of neoliberalism have encouraged a reduction of state intervention in both public and private life and a reluctance on the part of policymakers to regulate markets or to impose high levels of taxation on populations. Such policies have encouraged alternative forms of revenue generation, of which taxing the profits of commercial gambling is an attractive option. At the same time, shifts in the fabric of social life, including increasing secularization, rising relative affluence, the availability of credit, and the spread of consumerism, began to undermine arguments about the “immorality” of gambling and created a cultural climate that was conducive to the proliferation of gambling as a mainstream leisure activity.

[Page 625]A loosening of legal restrictions on promotion and expansion has resulted in the massive proliferation of commercial gambling as a global enterprise with a central place in Western economies. Governments around the world have legalized lotteries, casinos, and sports betting, as well as machine-based gambling such as slots and video lottery terminals (VLTs) as sources of vast profit for both state and commercial enterprise. At the same time, new technologies such as the Internet have launched gambling into cyberspace, breaking down national boundaries and posing complex regulatory challenges. Games of chance have also been increasingly incorporated into mass tourist and leisure industries. For the latter, casinos in particular are increasingly seen as part of the whole tourist experience, built into resorts and attached to leisure complexes along with cinemas, bars, and restaurants. In the case of Las Vegas, for example, gambling itself is the central focus and makes the city into a destination in its own right. These trends have led to the incorporation of gambling into the world economy and the movement of gamblers across fluid national boundaries.

By the start of the twenty-first century, gambling has moved center stage to become a global player in the economies of North America, Europe, and Australasia. Today, the gambling industry runs as a billion-dollar enterprise, selling hope, excitement, and thrills to ever-larger numbers of consumers.

The commercial strategies of market research, advertising, and branding have been used to develop a variety of products and opportunities to gamble, while frequent innovations ensure a regular supply of new and specialized gambling opportunities. Modern consumers have a variety of products and experiences to choose from: it is now possible to gamble on a wide range of occasions, from taking a day trip to a casino or a family vacation in Las Vegas, to passing a few hours on a slot machine or buying into the dream of a big win with a weekly lottery ticket. Today, games of chance are commodified as heterogeneous products, offering a diverse range of choices for ever-increasing numbers of consumers.

...