Gambling as exchange: horserace betting in London

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the growing body of research which uses qualitative approaches to investigate gambling as it occurs within particular networks or social milieu. Using data gathered in betting shops in London between 2006 and 2009 the paper presents gambling as exchange and gamblers as fractal persons. This approach is used to explore changes in the meanings attributed to gambling by betting shop staff and customers under various regulatory conditions. Research participants portrayed betting that took place on the street with illegal bookmakers before 1961 as a form of circulation within their community and contrasted this with betting in licensed offices as an extractive process. The paper contributes to a more general discussion about the use of long term participant observation to study gambling as a social process.

Keywords:

• anthropology
• betting
• cross cultural
• culture
• Europe
• horse racing

Acknowledgements

This article is based on fieldwork which was supported by an award from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Responsible Gambling Fund as part of their Research into Problem Gambling Scheme. I am also grateful for the cooperation of several operators and their staff and customers.

Notes

1. This approach is not only effective among small scale, face to face societies. Hayano (1978, 1982, 1984, 1989) used participant observation to explore both card playing among the Awa in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and poker playing in California and Nevada. Stewart (1997) has described how Rom use betting as a way to distance themselves from their peasant neighbours. Holbraad (2007) has compared lottery playing and divination in Cuba. Working in Thailand, Klima (2002) has shown how the ban on gambling was a reflection of wider anxieties about neoliberalism. In Greece, Malaby (2003) and Papataxiarchis (1999) have investigated gambling between men in two different locations. Papineau (2005) has used an anthropological approach to describe gambling among the Chinese community in Montreal. Outside anthropology, foundational research that investigates gambling as a social practice includes Rosecrance's work with horserace bettors in North America (1985, 1986a-d, 1988a, b) and a collection on gambling cultures edited by McMillen (1996). Prus (2004) has also persistently advocated an approach that views gambling as an identity forming, situated activity taking place within particular groups. More recently, Cosgrave (2008) has built upon the foundational work of Goffman (1967), by exploring the micro social aspects of gambling activity as ‘action’. Fellow sociologist Kingma (2008a, b, 2009) has also developed an intellectual agenda focused on relations between people, rather than individual proclivities. Griffiths has pioneered the use of participant and non participant observation by psychologists (Parke & Griffiths, 2008). In cultural studies, Nicholl (2008, 2009) has investigated gambling and indigineity in Australia. A women's studies approach to gambling concerned with the ‘lived experience’ of research participants has emerged recently (Bunkle, 2009).

2. My project received approval from the Goldsmiths, University of London Ethics Committee.

3. All names have been changed in accordance with my participants' wishes.

4. The more conservative of these estimates is arrived at by Miers (2004, p. 236), the larger by Curzon (1892, p. 231).

5. According to their Annual Reports, at the end of 2008, William Hill had 2271 Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) in the UK, Ladbrokes had 2091 plus 52 ‘on site outlets’ and Coral had 1599.

6. Since the attempted take over of Coral by Ladbrokes was prevented by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1998, the Big Three have focused on small acquisitions and improvements in shop locations. Independents are regularly acquired by the Big Three but it is understood that they may not acquire each other. In the largest of the most recent takeovers in May 2005, William Hill acquired 624 betting shops from Stanley Leisure.

7. For a comprehensive description of this process see Miers (2004).

8. The change in taxation that occurred in 2001 made low stake high frequency betting profitable enabling a change in the rhythm of betting.