The eight essays in Gambling, Space, and Time use a global and interdisciplinary approach to examine two significant areas of gambling studies that have not been widely explored--the ever-changing boundaries that divide and organize gambling spaces, and the cultures, perceptions, and emotions related to gambling. The contributors represent a variety of disciplines: history, geography, sociology, anthropology, political science, and law. The essays consider such topics as the impact of technological advances on gambling activities, the role of the nation-state in the gambling industry, and the ways that cultural and moral values influence the availability of gambling and the behavior of gamblers. The case studies offer rich new insights into a gambling industry that is both a global phenomenon and a powerful engine of local change.
"An elegant and amusing account" of how gambling has been reshaped by the application of science and revealed the truth behind a lucky bet (Wall Street Journal). For the past 500 years, gamblers-led by mathematicians and scientists-have been trying to figure out how to pull the rug out from under Lady Luck. In The Perfect Bet, mathematician and award-winning writer Adam Kucharski tells the astonishing story of how the experts have succeeded, revolutionizing mathematics and science in the process. The house can seem unbeatable. Kucharski shows us just why it isn't. Even better, he demonstrates how the search for the perfect bet has been crucial for the scientific pursuit of a better world.
Maximize your odds on the casino floor Casinos are designed for distraction, so it helps to know a bit about when the odds are in your favor and when they’re not before you push a stack of chips onto a table. Professional blackjack player Kevin Blackwood and lifelong sports bettor Swain Scheps know a thing or two about casino gambling. In Casino Gambling For Dummies, these seasoned gaming veterans guide you through the essential strategies for walking out of the casino ahead of the game. They also show you the most common mistakes made by players, helping you avoid gambling risks while you enjoy what the gaming industry has to offer. Learn to see past the flashing lights, decide how much you’re willing to wager, and find out how to enjoy yourself. In this book, you’ll also discover: Step-by-step walkthroughs of casino etiquette and the rules of common casino games, including poker and blackjack Explanations of video poker and slots and ways to avoid losing more than you’re comfortable with Explorations of online gambling, so you can enjoy the fun of a casino from the comfort of your home The perfect guide for anyone looking for an easy introduction to the world of casino gaming, Casino Gambling For Dummies is also an essential resource for those seeking to improve their odds at blackjack, craps, video poker, slots, and other games.
While most research has examined the legal, economic and psychological sides of gambling, this innovative collection offers a wide range of cultural perspectives on gambling organizations. Contributors not only examine the global influence of commercial gambling, but also demonstrate how the local qualities of gambling organizations remain unique.
The book adopts a critical cultural studies lens to explore the entanglement of government and gambling in everyday life. Its qualitative approach to gambling creates a new theoretical framework for understanding the most urgent questions raised by research and policy on gambling. In the past two decades, gambling industries have experienced exponential growth with annual global expenditure worth approximately 300 billion dollars. Yet most academic research on gambling is concentrated on problem gambling and conducted within the psychological sciences. Nicoll considers gambling at a moment when its integration within everyday cultural spaces, moments, and products is unprecedented. This is the first interdisciplinary cultural study of gambling in everyday life and develops critical and empirical methods that capture the ubiquitous presence of gambling in work, investment and play. This book also contributes to the growing cultural studies literature on video and mobile gaming. In addition to original case studies of gambling moments and spaces, in-depth interviews and participant observations provide readers with an insider’s view of gambling. Advanced students of sociology, cultural theory, and political science, academic researchers in the field of gambling studies will find this an original and useful text for understanding the cultural and political work of gambling industries in liberal societies.
This reader contributes to the sociology of gambling, and offers a variety of sociological approaches, ranging from classical sociological analyses of gambling to contemporary sociological approaches to risk.
This book explores the rise and increased acceptance of gambling in America, particularly the growth of the game of poker, as a means for examining changes to the American Dream and the risk society. Poker both critiques and reinterprets the myth of the American Dream, putting greater emphasis on the importance of luck and risk management while deemphasizing the importance of honesty and hard work. Duncan discusses the history of gambling in America, changes to the rhetoric surrounding gambling, the depiction of poker in the Wild West as portrayed in film, its recent rise in popularity on television, its current place in post-modern America on the internet, and future implications.
Pathways to Excessive Gambling draws upon extensive empirical research amongst young people and problem gamblers in Australia, comparing it with situations in other territories, to shed light on social, recreational gambling and the ways in which this can lead to excessive gambling. It highlights the relationship between the local community, sports clubs, governments, social recreation, economy and regulation of gambling venues, identifying the social indicators that typify situations which commonly lead to excessive gambling. By developing a 'society-based' perspective, this volume recognizes problem gambling as an issue for the whole society rather than just the individual, focusing on the availability of gambling and identifying its capacity, as a construct, to encourage or restrict the behaviour of the individual. As such, this book will be of significance to social scientists with interests in gambling, young people, social problems, and the sociology of leisure and culture.
Win bets on sporting events using the prediction system of Vedic Astrology • Describes the basics of Vedic Astrology and how it can be applied to sports betting • Outlines 5 powerful techniques for predicting the outcome of any one-on-one competition • Details how to determine the physical strength of each side, whose motivation and drive to win is strongest, and who has fate on their side Everything that is born, which has a lifespan and an ending, is a space-time event. That includes contests as well as human beings. And just as your personal astrological chart can describe success or failure in various areas of your life, so too can a contest chart created from the time, date, and location of an event show us winners and losers of one-on-one competitions. Drawing on traditional Vedic Astrology as well as his own research and winning experience, Simon Chokoisky outlines 5 powerful techniques for predicting the outcome of any competition between two opponents with 70–80 percent accuracy. He explains how sports betting offers black-and-white outcomes and you do not have to be an advanced astrologer to understand the principles in this book or to apply them to daily life. Using examples from his bets in the World Cup and baseball, the author shows how to judge the favorite and determine the underdog’s chances by looking into the body, mind, and soul of a team and its players. He details how to use the planets to determine the physical strength of each side and whose motivation, mental toughness, and drive to win is strongest as well as the more subtle spiritual nature of each team--who is luckier and who has fate on their side. He details how he used these simple principles to win hundreds of bets and how he now uses them to fund charitable causes. Including personal stories of his experiences with grace, beginner’s luck, and the Vedic philosophy of karma and dharma, Chokoisky demonstrates how the planets and stars relate not only to our sports competitions but also our individual lives. He shows us how the astrologer must become part of the prediction, how a bad day can mean bad luck, and how to ride the wave of good fortune by avoiding specific days that are ill-disposed to betting. Chokoisky explains that one way to remain in the good graces of the gods is to donate a portion of your winnings to charity. He describes how right conduct is essential to continue profiting from this technique and how your own karma and dharma can indicate how to approach gambling as well as how to use your winnings.
