Laws of Chance. Brazil's Clandestine Lottery and the Making of Urban Public Life ‐ by Chazkel, Amy

Abstract

Chazkel, Amy (2011) Laws of Chance. Brazil's Clandestine Lottery and the Making of Urban Public Life, Duke University Press (Durham, NC and London), xii + 346 pp. £67.00 hbk, £16.99 pbk.When the negative or deleterious aspects of Brazilian reality are pointed out, misdemeanour is something that seems to be extremely commonplace. The so-called 'jogo do bicho' (animal lottery) -and its popularity -is perhaps one phenomenon that best synthesises certain features almost considered to be original evils, which include corruption and impunity. Thus, the game's relevance in national life is reinforced both by its obviously problematic side and by the characterisation of popular culture, given its typical informality and ambivalence. Amy Chazkel's book deals with the period when the two faces of the game (criminal and popular) were formed, the first few decades of the republican period in Brazil.