The chase : career of the compulsive gambler

In many barrooms, poolrooms, bowling alleys, and casinos, and at many golf courses and race tracks, there are groups of men who engage in seemingly illogical behavior. They "chase." That is, they gamble and lose yet continue to gamble some more in order to "get even." The more money that is lost, the more intense the "chase." Another name for the "chase" is compulsive gambling. Compulsive gamblers are those people who through the chase become trapped in a selfenclosed system of option usage and involvement

Book Review: Gambling: Who Wins? Who Loses?

Copyright © Masood Zangeneh, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Mental Health & AddictionGambling: Who Wins? Who Loses? is a thought-provoking collection of essays, written largely by international experts in the gambling field, that analyze the complex cultural, economic and social issues that have emerged as a result of the legalization and expansion of commercial gambling globally. Editor Gerda Reith, author of The Age of Chance: Gambling in Western Culture (2002), succeeds in her objective of stimulating informed debate. Reith presents a diverse range of topics and opinion that highlight historical and current trends in gambling activity from legal, political, economic, social, psychological and ethical perspectives. The book, which includes an introduction by Reith, is divided into seven sections: (a) current trends in commercial gaming; (b) social and economic benefits and costs; (c) law, crime and commercial regulation; (d) the "addiction" debate; (e) social trends, problem gambling, and the challenge to public policy; (f) psychological and environmental factors; and (g) ethical and philosophical issues. This accessible volume, like any good anthology, presents a multi-faceted picture of gambling activity without providing easy answers to the complex political and social issues that are raised. The articles found in Gambling: Who Wins? Who Loses? reflect contemporary thinking about the social and economic costs and benefits of gambling activity and will appeal to students, academics and professionals, as well as a more general readership, interested in the topics addressed by these authors.N

Gambling in Society: A Question of Balance

Alberta Gaming Research Institute's 7th Annual Conference, Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta. April 3–5, 2008.NoAlberta Gaming Research Institut