A gambler called “Steel Balls”

Abstract

“Steel Balls” is the nickname of a New Zealand gambler who gained considerable notoriety through his widely publicized gambling exploits. In some media reports, he is quoted admitting to be a “problem gambler” requiring the help of psychologists and similar experts. At other times, he tells the media he is in control of his gambling, and would like to be left alone to pursue the (controlled) level of gambling he enjoys. Such variation in what people say and do is common, but we need to be careful in how we deal with this in our academic analyses. The case is made for the study of gambling to consider the important entanglements of language, self-identity, and social action. The work of Hacking on “looping effects” and “interactive kinds” is applied to the Steel Balls nickname, and to offer broader implications for the understanding of problem gambling.

• Problem gambling
• naming
• media
• reflexivity
• interaction