Random riches : gambling past & present / edited by Manfred Zollinger.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Zollinger, Manfred, 1956- editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gambling--History.

Gambling.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xi, 228 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, [2016]

Summary:

Gambling is a fascinating subject which for many centuries has attracted public interest Yet, despite its ubiquity, gambling (or gaming) leads a marginal existence within the boundaries of scholarly research. Providing a longue durée survey, this volume promotes a historical understanding of the subject enriched with a diverse academic approach that draws upon sociology, economics and psychology. Each chapter in the collection is the work of a renowned scholar with a long standing interest in gambling research. The contributions offer historical analyses of the medieval origins of the 'Gambler State' and of mathematical risk calculation. They cast light on the roles of different stakeholders in gambling including the playing public, business and the state. They provide a controversial discussion of the alleged 'pathological' nature of chance games and the reasons for either regulating or freeing them from state control. Last but not least, two authors deal with country-by-country specifics in gaming cultures and gambling markets. Taken as a whole, the chapters in this volume chart the development of European gambling culture from the medieval to modern times. In so doing it provides essential context for both historical and current debates about the nature of gambling and lotteries, addiction to gambling, poverty and social degradation on the fringes of the welfare state. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Paths Toward Modern Gambling 27

1 The Ancient Roots of Modern Gambling / Gherardo Ortalli Ortalli, Gherardo 29

2 Bingo! A Material History of Modern Gaming / Thierry Depaulis Depaulis, Thierry 36

3 The Lure of Lady Luck: Lotteries and Economic Culture in the Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Low Countries / Jeroen Puttevils Puttevils, Jeroen 57

4 Taking Chances: Girolamo Cardano on Gambling, the Art of Memory, and Magic / Sergius Kodera Kodera, Sergius 72

5 Debating the Lottery in Britain c. 1750-1830 / James Raven Raven, James 87

6 Heterotopias of Chance: Gambling and Subjectivity around 1800 / Peter Schnyder Schnyder, Peter 105

Part II Contemporary Gambling Markets 117

7 Cultural and Social Meanings of Gambling in Finland and Sweden: A Historical Perspective / Rutta Matilainen Matilainen, Rutta 119

8 The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Syndicate Play / Roberto Garvía Garvía, Roberto 132

9 All You Need is a Dollar and a Dream: Explaining the Inverse Relationship Between Socio-Economic Position and Lottery Play / Jens Beckert Beckert, Jens, Mark Lutter Lutter, Mark 143

10 A Brief Survey of German Casinos before and after World War II / Manfred Zollinger Zollinger, Manfred 160

11 Casino Gambling as Part of the German Gambling Market / Lothar Hübl Hübl, Lothar 163

Part III Perceptions and Realities of Gambling, Chance, and Risk 171

12 Games and Passions: Huizinga's Homo Ludens as Spieltrieb / Willem Otter Speer Speer, Willem Otter 173

13 "Pathological" Gambling in an Age of Chance / Gerda Reith Reith, Gerda 184

14 Gambling and Speculation: Perceptions and Reality / Reuven Brenner Brenner, Reuven 204.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781472470041

1472470044

OCLC:

915057055