Gambling Cultures

McMillen, Jan

doi:10.4324/9780203993507

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…9 Instead, academic research on gambling in Australia has been most clearly shaped by shifting contexts of regulation as political leaders seek 'hard figures' to support policies to address 'problem gambling'. Until very recently, most of the knowledge about gambling produced within the academy and circulating within popular culture was generated within medicine, psychiatry and psychology, with the interdisciplinary fields of public health and social work also developing significant insights.…”

Section: Nikolas Rosementioning

confidence: 99%

On Blowing Up the Pokies: The Pokie Lounge as a Cultural Site of Neoliberal Governmentality in Australia

Nicoll

2011

CSR

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In 1999 The Whitlams, a popular ‘indie’ band named after a former Australian prime minister whose government was controversially sacked in 1975 by the Governor-General, released a single titled ‘Blow up the Pokies’. Written about a former band member’s fatal attraction to electronic gaming machines (henceforth referred to as ‘pokies’), the song was mixed by a top LA producer, a decision that its writer and The Whitlam’s front-man, Tim Freedman, describes as calculated to ‘get it on big, bombastic commercial radio’. The investment paid off and the song not only became a big hit for the band, it developed a legacy beyond the popular music scene, with Freedman invited to write the foreword of a ‘self-help manual for giving up gambling’ as well as appearing on public affairs television shows to discuss the issue of problem gambling. The lyrics of ‘Blow up the Pokies’ frame the central themes of this article: spaces, technologies and governmentality of gambling. It then explores what cultural articulations of resistance to the pokie lounge tell us about broader social and cultural dynamics of neoliberal governmentality in Australia.

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Section: Nikolas Rosementioning

confidence: 99%

On Blowing Up the Pokies: The Pokie Lounge as a Cultural Site of Neoliberal Governmentality in Australia

Nicoll

2011

CSR

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“…expenditures and revenues than ever before (Odegarrd 2004, Statistics Canada 2004, Shaffer & Korn 2002, Korn 2000, Campbell & Smith 1998, Eadington & Cornelius 1997, McMillen 1996, National Council of Welfare 1996 (Table 2.3). Growth of the gambling industry in Canada and elsewhere in recent decades has led to increased gambling participation and popularity (Shaffer & Hall 2001, Campbell & Smith 1998, McMillen 1996.…”

Section: Gambling and Health In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Growth of the gambling industry in Canada and elsewhere in recent decades has led to increased gambling participation and popularity (Shaffer & Hall 2001, Campbell & Smith 1998, McMillen 1996.…”

Section: Gambling and Health In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gambling has been marketed as a leisure activity for affluent members of society and an enterprise that holds the promise of potential increases in socio-economic position for the working class (McMillen 1996). The argument could be made that sensible wagers resulting in financial gains can increase individual wealth, a factor that is associated with better health outcomes (Wilkinson & Marmot 2003, Shaffer & Korn 2002).…”

Section: Gambling and Health In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada in 1969 and1985 sanctioned growth of large-scale lotteries, casinos and electronic gambling machines 1 (EGMs) across Canada. This, in turn, has made gambling more accessible in local neighbourhoods and has allowed for the continued increase in participation by the general public (Shaffer & Hall 2001, Korn 2000, Campbell & Smith 1998, Eadington & Cornelius 1997, National Council of Welfare 1996, McMillen 1996. Gambling has become very popular in Canada and, as a result, revenues from gambling activities in Canada have increased steadily from $2.7 billion in 1992 to $12.9 billion in…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neighbourhood contexts and opportunities for youth gambling in Montréal, Québec

Wilson¹

2005

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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Gambling has become an increasingly accessible and acceptable form of entertainment in North America and worldwide in recent decades. Legalized gambling activities in Canada generate annual governmental revenues that totalled 12.9$ billion dollars in 2005 and estimates indicate that over 70 percent of the adult population and nearly as many young people participate in some form of gambling in a given year. Beyond a source of entertainment and governmental revenue, gambling is an emerging public health issue at the centre of numerous social and health costs including suicide, depression, criminal and delinquent behaviour, domestic violence, family dysfunction, financial troubles, and increased risk of developing multiple addictions.Video lottery terminals (VLTs) are among the most popular and controversial gambling activities in Quebec and Canada. The increased availability and popularity of gambling activities like VLTs is cause for concern given high rates of gambling among vulnerable youth populations and what is known about the links between excessive gambling and serious social and health consequences. Gambling research has traditionally focused on identifying individual factors that influence gambling behaviours, like personal decision-making, impulsivity and self-control.This dissertation employs conceptual themes from health geography and population health to frame gambling as a behaviour best understood through a consideration of both individual characteristics and characteristics of surrounding social and physical environments. A mixed methods approach was adopted to explore individual and environmental factors of neighbourhoods that influence youth VLT gambling. Four research objectives were addressed: 1) to describe the socio-spatial distribution of gambling opportunities surrounding high schools in Montreal; 2) to model VLT use by youth in Montreal as a function of individual and social contextual characteristics (including VLT accessibility); 3) to develop an in-depth understanding of why youth gamble; and 4) to develop an understanding of the social norms that are supportive of youth gambling.Assessment of the distribution of VLT gambling opportunities (n=400) high school locations (n=305) and neighbourhood socio-economic conditions within the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area revealed VLT opportunities were more abundant in economically disadvantaged and inner-city school neighbourhoods. A student survey (n=2672) in Montreal and geographic data of VLT locations and socio-economic conditions of school neighbourhoods demonstrated that the majority (60%) of youth reported gambling in the past year and nearly one tenth reported gambling weekly. Twelve percent of students reported playing VLTs and one in three students reported VLT use by friends. Students most often reported gambling for fun, money, entertainment and excitement. Logistic regression models of VLT use showed male sex, engaging in other risky behaviours (particularly marijuana use), II attendance at schools where gambling is prev...

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Place, gender and the appeal of video lottery terminal gambling: unpacking a focus group study of Montreal youth

Wilson

Ross

2009

GeoJournal

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Youth gambling has become an important public health issue in Canada and elsewhere owing to the known associations between gambling and delinquency, family dysfunction and suicide. Modern electronic and virtual gambling activities like video lottery terminals (VLTs) may have particular appeal to youth who have been raised in social environments that are increasingly dependent on information and communication technologies. The main objective of the study was to explore why youth gamble and what makes gambling activities like VLTs popular to youth in the places where youth live, study and play. The research is framed within a population health perspective that recognizes the role of social and physical environments in influencing health-related behaviours. Group discussions were conducted with youth to explore the popularity and appeal of gambling and VLTs, and how gambling fits into the daily routines of youth and the spaces they occupy. Methodologically, this research was conscious of responding to calls in the literature to analyze focus groups as an interactive group process rather a collection of individual responses, and to exercise analytic rigour by explicitly making the research team's positionality and the data collection process transparent. Group discussions revealed gender differences in the appeal of particular gambling activities with young males being more likely to discuss poker, dice, sports-betting and online gambling as exciting social activities, while females described lottery and scratch (instant win) tickets as fun solitary activities. Substantive results point to the need for interventions to address social aspects of gambling that appeal, in particular, to young males potentially through increased provision of healthier alternatives to social engagement and greater attention to young people's use of space.

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Gambling Cultures

Cited by 35 publications

References 0 publications

On Blowing Up the Pokies: The Pokie Lounge as a Cultural Site of Neoliberal Governmentality in Australia

On Blowing Up the Pokies: The Pokie Lounge as a Cultural Site of Neoliberal Governmentality in Australia

Neighbourhood contexts and opportunities for youth gambling in Montréal, Québec

Place, gender and the appeal of video lottery terminal gambling: unpacking a focus group study of Montreal youth

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