Publications

(Published - Forthcoming - Submitted - In preparation)

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.

Binde, Per, 2007. Spelreklam och spelmissbruk: 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 persons 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 (including English summary) Buy the book

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 increase gambling and 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 (including English summary) 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.

Binde, Per, 2004. Spel i ett kulturellt perspektiv
Paper presenterat vid Fjärde Nordiska Konferensen om Spelberoende, arrangerad av Stiftelsen Nordiska Sällskapet för Upplysning om Spelberoende (SNSUS), Lillehammer, 29-30 mars 2004.

This paper is available here (in Swedish).
 

Forthcoming

● Binde, Per, 200x. Trotting territory: The cultural realm of Swedish horse betting (book chapter)

● Binde, Per, 200x. Social, cultural and economic research on gambling motivation and involvement (report)
This report reviews academic literature on social, economic and cultural research on gambling. The main objective is to sum up what the literature says about the motives that people have for gambling and about factors that influence the degree of involvement in gambling. Suggestions are made as to the usefulness of that knowledge for problem gambling studies. Such studies often rely on medical concepts of excessive gambling as pathology and measuring it among the population as epidemiology. Since gambling undoubtedly has social, economic and cultural dimensions, an awareness of what researchers in these fields have concluded regarding motives for gambling and factors influencing the degree of involvement may benefit problem gambling studies. This review – citing 434 works – may thus be helpful to academic scholars, health practitioners and policy makers involved in problem gambling issues and of some interest also to those who more generally wish to know more about why people gamble.

Submitted for publication

Binde, Per, 200x. Truth, deception and imagination in gambling advertising (book chapter)

Quite often in public debate it is claimed that gambling advertising is misleading and deceptive. This paper 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.

In preparation

● Binde, Per, 200x. Why people gamble: A general model of leisure gambling (journal article)

● Binde, Per, 200x. Exploring the impact of gambling advertising: An interview study of problem gamblers (journal article)