Binde, Per. 2011. Trotting territory: The cultural realm of Swedish horse betting. In P. Raento & D. Schwartz (eds), Gambling, Space, and Time: Shifting Boundaries and Cultures. Reno: University of Nevada Press.
About the chapter Trotting territory: The cultural realm of Swedish horse betting
Human beings in social interaction create life-worlds with shared symbols, meanings, and values. Some forms of gambling, among them horse betting, therefore tend to evolve into bounded cultural domains with specific beliefs, norms, and traditions. Gambling becomes the core of a world-building activity. This chapter concerns one such cultural realm established by gambling – the one created and re-created at the Åby trotting track in Sweden at the days of racing. The study builds on participant observation and analyses the social interactions and cultural meanings that structure people’s experience of Åby trotting track.
About the book
“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.” (University of Nevada Press)
Contributors
Per Binde, Larry Gragg, Sytze F. Kingma, Steven Andrew Light, Kathryn L. R. Rand, Pauliina Raento, David G. Schwartz, and Denise von Herrmann.
Review
“This book extends the available research on gambling, and therefore makes a significant contribution to the literature. There is no doubt that the contributors have done careful and extensive original research.”
- James Smith, author of The Business of Risk: Commercial Gambling in Mainstream America.
Order the book from:
• The University of Nevada Press
• The Swedish bookseller Adlibris
Binde, Per. 2011. A mutual support group for young problem gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (online first).
A Swedish mutual support group for young problem gamblers is described and discussed. During the study period, 116 weekly meetings occurred, usually involving six to ten participants; in total, 69 problem gamblers (66 male and three female), aged 17–25, and 23 partners and friends attended the meetings. Half the gamblers had problems with Internet poker, one fifth with electronic gambling machines, and the rest with other forms of gambling and computer gaming. Nearly half the problem gamblers participated in under five mutual support meetings, while just over a third attended ten or more meetings. Gambling problems ceased or lessened among most participants in ten or more meetings. In some cases, attending just one or a few meetings had a positive impact on the problems. This mutual support group provides relatively effective help to adolescents and young adults with gambling problems, offering a valuable alternative and complement to professional treatment.
Binde, Per. 2011. A Swedish mutual support society of problem gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (online first).
Mutual support societies for problem gamblers have existed in Sweden for 20 years. They have helped more people with gambling problems than any other institution inside or outside the Swedish health care system. This paper outlines the background of these societies and describes the meetings of one of them. Data come from interviews with members of a local society and participation in mutual support meetings. It is argued that these mutual support societies provide help in a variety of ways and in all phases of recovery from gambling problems. In particular, they help people form personal narratives about the origin, progression, and resolution of their problems, narratives that give insight and guide recovery. These mutual support societies are valuable complements and alternatives to professional treatment.
Binde, Per. 2011. What are the most harmful forms of gambling? Analyzing problem gambling prevalence surveys. CEFOS Working Papers 12.
Eighteen national prevalence surveys of problem gambling (PG), most of them from Europe, were analyzed to assess the relative harmfulness of various forms of gambling. It was found that interactive Internet gambling, casino gambling, electronic gaming machines, and high-stakes unregulated/illegal gambling are often relatively closely associated with PG, while lotteries and instant lotteries appear relatively harmless. Other forms of gambling—sports pools, bingo, horse betting, and sports betting—are typically relatively moderately associated with PG. This paper discusses the possibilities and limitations of assessing the harmfulness of various forms of gambling by analyzing prevalence survey data. It is concluded that although such analyses yield valuable insights, they should be complemented by other sources of information, such as statistics on the gambling activities of those seeking help for PG and qualitative studies of problem gambling.
Binde, Per. 2010. Sjutton också, udda igen! Frank Heller och Rouletten. In Frank Heller och hasarden, red. G. Wessberg. Lund: Pelotard Press (“Frank Heller and the roulette”)
High stakes gambling is a recurrent theme in the Swedish writer Frank Heller’s short stories and books. This essay is about Heller’s attempt to get rich by playing the roulette in the casino of Monte Carlo in 1912, which ended in economic ruin when a series of no less than seventeen odd numbers occurred. The mathematical and statistical properties of roulette systems are explained. Starting out from an aphorism by the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón – “Coincidences are the scars of fate” – the implications of this event on the body of Heller’s writings are discussed. The essay is published in an anthology on the theme of gambling in Heller’s literary works.
Binde, Per. 2010. Syna korten: En insats mot spelproblem bland unga. Hedemora: Gidlunds. (“‘Showdown Time: A Response to Adolescent Problem Gambling”)
Online poker and other games on the internet have become popular among young people. Many spend a lot of time and money gambling. Also sports betting, slot machines and video games create problems. The project Showdown Time is a response to problem gambling among young people in Gothenburg. This social project has in its preventive effort reached out to thousands of young people. In a mutual support group, help has been provided to many young problem gamblers and their families. This book describes and analyzes the groundbreaking work of the project Showdown Time. It gives a picture of problem gambling among young people today. We learn how the lecturers from Showdown Time capture young people’s attention and get them to absorb the message about the risks of gambling. The reader will get a unique insight into how a mutual support group works and a detailed account of the help it provides to its participants. The book is targeted at anyone who is interested in social work, addiction problems and youth issues.
Presentation in Swedish • Buy the book
Binde, Per & Jakob Jonsson (eds). 2010. Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
● Binde, Per & Jakob Jonsson, 2010. Inledning: Spelberoendes riksförbund tio år. In Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift, eds P. Binde & J. Jonsson. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
● 2010, Per, 2010. De svenska spelberoendeföreningarna. In Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift, eds P. Binde & J. Jonsson. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
These publications relate to an edited jubilee book celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Gambling Addicts’ National Association. The book includes contributions from people within the association, academics, as well as people from the gaming sector who have co-operated with the association. The sixteen chapters of the book give a comprehensive and well-informed picture of gambling problems in Sweden and how the local mutual support groups within the Association help problem gamblers and their family members.
Download the book • Buy the book
Binde, Per. 2009. Exploring the impact of gambling advertising: An interview study of problem gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, vol. 7(4): 541-554.
This study qualitatively explored the impact of gambling advertising on problem gambling by interviewing twenty-five people with current or past gambling problems. Interviews were relatively long and involved the participants’ viewing numerous examples of gambling advertising. A quarter of the participants reported that gambling advertising had no impact on their problems, slightly over half of them reported that advertising had a marginal impact, and one fifth reported a tangible impact. However, none considered advertising to be a main cause of their gambling problems. The negative self-perceived impact was primarily that advertising triggered impulses to gamble. Advertising thus increased already high involvement in gambling and/or made it harder to stick to a decision to gamble less or not at all.
Journal abstract • Post-print manuscript version (free download)
Binde, Per. 2009. Gambling motivation and involvement: A review of social science research. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
This report reviews the academic literature on social, economic and cultural research on gambling. It sums up what the literature says about the motives people have for gambling and the factors that influence their degree of involvement in gambling. Suggestions are made as to the usefulness of this knowledge for studies on problem gambling, which often rely on medical concepts of excessive gambling as pathology. This review may thus be helpful to scholars, health practitioners and policy makers who deal with problem gambling issues, and of some interest also to those with a more general desire to learn more about why people gamble.
Download the report • Buy the report
Binde, Per. 2009. ‘You Could Become a Millionaire’: Truth, Deception, and Imagination in Gambling Advertising, in S. Kingma (ed.) Global Gambling: Cultural Perspectives on Gambling Organizations. London: Routledge.
This book chapter examines psychological and rhetorical devices commonly used in gambling advertising, and discusses to what extent these can be regarded as misleading. I conclude that it is difficult to distinguish sharply between advertising of gambling products that misleads consumers and that which does not. Responsible gambling provision should mean that gambling companies do not publish advertising that is even remotely misleading, and that they are responsive to public opinion regarding the truthfulness, content and tone of their advertising. Gambling, being an activity sustained by imagery and multifaceted cultural meanings, provides ample material for attractive themes in advertising. There is thus no need for gambling companies to market their products using dubious half-truths concerning the chances of winning. Less focus on money and more emphasis on the culturally meaningful elements of gambling would make deception in gambling advertising less of a controversial subject.
Binde, Per. 2009. Vilka är de mest riskfyllda spelen? En analys av befolkningsstudier av spelproblem. CEFOS Rapport 2009:1.
(What are the most risky forms of gambling? An analysis of problem gambling prevalence studies)
This report in Swedish presents the results of an analysis of the association between different forms of gambling and problem gambling. Eighteen prevalence studies, most of them from Europe, are analyzed. It is found that the most risky forms of gambling are unregulated high stakes gambling, casino games, electronic gambling machines and interactive internet games. The least risky forms are traditional lotteries and instant lotteries. Horse betting, sports betting, sports pools and bingo are forms with a moderate risk for gambling problems. While this is the general picture, the riskiness of forms of gambling is relative rather than absolute, varies between cultures and legislations, and depends on factors such as regulation, the design of particular games, and the selection of games available on the gaming market. A theoretical model is presented – including the factors emotional effect of playing, requirements for play, and the game’s integration into the surrounding society – that accounts for the varying strength of association between gambling problems and forms of gambling, as it emerge in prevalence studies.
Download the report • Download a revised and abridged version in English
Binde, Per. 2007. The good, the bad and the unhappy: Cultural meanings of newspaper reporting on jackpot winners. International Gambling Studies, vol. 7(2): 213-232.
Accounts of jackpot winners and big gambling wins are common in Swedish newspapers. Analysis of over 2000 such newspaper articles reveals that their content is structured according to specific themes and cultural topics. Four such topics are identified: wealth as a test of morals and character, the social impact of wealth, the just and good world, and luck and the occult. Culturally structured narratives like these – which elaborate on mythological and moralistic schemes of good and evil, rewards and punishments, and which concern questions of human nature and social values – have a long history in folk tradition and in Christian moral teachings. Jackpot wins provide a discursive realm for moral and existential questions that, to some extent, fills a void left by the decline of traditional folklore and formal religion. Apparently, this discourse stimulates interest in games and constitutes one of the cultural roots of contemporary gambling.
Journal abstract • Post-print manuscript version (free download)
Binde, Per. 2007. Spelreklam och spelberoende: En intervjustudie. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
(Gambling advertising and problem gambling: An interview study)
The premise for the study presented in this book was that problem gamblers can to some extent tell what influence gambling advertising has had on their problems. No other such investigation had previously been conducted in Sweden or elsewhere. The study was based on relatively long and exhaustive interviews with twenty-five individuals with present or past severe gambling problems. The study also accounts for how the individual interviewed more generally react when confronted with gambling advertising and what thoughts they have on the promotion of gambling in Sweden. The opinions and experiences presented are those of persons who have years of experience of gambling problems – their own and those of others – and can therefore be valuable to those, in the gambling industry or elsewhere, who have an interest in responsible provision of gambling. Advertising regulation issues are discussed in the light of the findings of the study.
Download the book • Presentation in Swedish • Paper in English
Binde, Per. 2007. Selling dreams – causing nightmares? On gambling advertising and problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Issues, vol. 20: 167-192.
A review of the relevant academic literature leads to the conclusion that there are no reliable estimates of the impact of gambling advertising on the extent of problem gambling. Drawing on available facts, it can be inferred that gambling advertising does add to problem gambling, but that its impact is smaller than those of other influential factors. Thus, alarming claims that gambling advertising substantially increases problem gambling and reassuring statements from gambling companies that advertising merely affects market shares and has no impact on the prevalence of problem gambling both appear to be erroneous. Examining possible methods for measuring the small impact of advertising on problem gambling indicates that this is a difficult research task. Gambling providers are advised to avoid publishing advertising that elaborates on features of gambling known to relate to problem gambling. The controversial nature of gambling advertising is illustrated by the case of Sweden, where such advertising and its impact on problem gambling has been hotly debated in the past decade.
Binde, Per. 2007. Gambling and Religion: Histories of Concord and Conflict. Journal of Gambling Issues, vol. 20: 145-165.
This paper discusses the diverse relationships between gambling and religion in various societies and at various times in history, and suggests a theoretical model for how these relationships can be understood. It is argued that gambling and religion have certain elements in common: notions of the unknown, mystery, fate, and destiny, as well as imagery of suddenly receiving something of great value that changes life for the better. In many traditional cultures gambling has existed in concord with polytheistic and animistic religion; gambling and religion go well together precisely because of the elements they have in common. Monotheistic religions that claim authority in religious and transcendental matters, however, tend to denounce gambling and this disapproval has been fueled by a conception that gambling offers a wicked alternative to certain religious notions and experiences. The elements that gambling and religion share have thus become a source of conflict.
Binde, Per. 2007. Report from Sweden: The first state-owned Internet poker site. Gaming Law Review, vol. 11(2): 108-115.
The first state-owned Internet poker site was launched in March 2006 in Sweden. This paper describes the political and public debate that flared up when plans for the poker site became known, the rationale for the Swedish government granting permission to the site, and the possible implications of this decision for Swedish lottery regulation vis-à-vis EU law. Finally, some speculations on the future of Swedish gambling regulation are made.
Binde, Per. 2005. Gambling, Exchange Systems, and Moralities. Journal of Gambling Studies, vol 21(4): 445-479.
History and ethnography show us that, across societies of the past and present, gambling varies considerably with respect to its organization, social meanings, and how it is regarded in moral terms. This paper presents a basic scheme for analyzing the relationship between gambling and society. A theoretical starting point is that reciprocity is fundamental to social and economic systems. An anthropological theory of exchange systems makes a broad distinction between a structural dimension (generalized versus balanced reciprocity) and a normative dimension (from voluntary to involuntary). A model of four basic forms of reciprocity, each having a characteristic exchange mode and morality, can thus be constructed. Gambling is here understood as an exchange system embedded in the reciprocal orders of society and having a necessary relationship to these; it can take on the characteristics of such an order or it can be regarded as conflicting with it. Much of the variation in the form and morality of gambling therefore emerges as systematic and explainable by a theory of forms of reciprocal exchange.
Binde, Per. 2005. Spel i ett antropologiskt perspektiv. Socialt Perspektiv, nr 1: 7-24.
This article outlines how gambling can be understood as a cultural and social phenomenon from an anthropological point of view.
Binde, Per. 2005. Att sälja en dröm: Om spelreklam och dess påverkan. Stockholm: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
(Selling Dreams: On the Effects of Gambling Advertising)
Gambling advertising has become a controversial subject in Sweden, as is also the case in several other European countries as well as in the United States. It is debated to what extent advertising contributes to problem gambling, and if much of gambling advertising should be regarded as deceptive and unethical. This book in Swedish presents facts on gambling advertising in Sweden and reviews the academic literature on the subject. It discusses the main issues that have been raised with respect to gambling advertising in the public debate and offers suggestions for future research.
Download the book • Buy the book
Binde, Per. 2005. Gambling across cultures: Mapping worldwide occurrence and learning from ethnographic comparison. International Gambling Studies, vol. 5(1): 1-27
This paper first maps the distribution of indigenous gambling in cultures around the world. On the basis of extensive ethnographic and historical evidence, it is concluded that gambling is not a universal phenomenon; prior to the era of European colonization, non-gambling societies appears to have covered large areas of the globe. The pattern of gambling and non-gambling peoples and nations invites speculation and investigation. The second part of the paper reviews and critically discusses statistical cross-cultural studies that have aimed to uncover factors that promote or restrain the playing of games of chance and the practice of gambling. Some of these factors, which allow us to predict to a certain extent the presence and intensity of gambling in societies, are: the presence of commercially used money, social inequality, societal complexity, and the presence of certain kinds of competitive inter-tribal relations.
Journal abstract • Post-print manuscript version (free download)
