‘I lose, but that’s not the point’: Situated Economic and Social Rationalities in Horserace Gambling

Abstract

This article compares ethnographic observations of horserace gambling in two UK spaces -the betting shop (remote) and the racecourse (proximal). The paper identifies the emerging, situated rationales that attract gamblers to these leisure spaces, and that motivate them to integrate their gambling activities as an ongoing, sustainable feature of their lives. Doing so, it is observed that, for the vast majority of punters, gambling on the horses is neither 'addictive' nor is it 'irrational', except in narrowly defined zweckrational terms. The article thus argues for a shift in current gambling research, away from an overwhelming preoccupation with pathological gambling, towards a broader consideration of the more representative and socioeconomically significant activities of leisure gambling.

Win or Lose: Negotiating meaning of time and money within three gambling settings

“…Negotiations of each gambling frame between players define each gambler's relationship with and meanings attributed to money, as well as to time and chance. To build a more comprehensive understanding of problem gambling, future research should approach gambling as a socio-economic activity or a human experience embedded in specific social, cultural, and political contexts (Malaby, 2007;Neal, 2005). Such contexts set the stage for the subsequent acceptability, both social and subjective, of gambling encounters, and any anxiety that a problem gambler may experience.…”

Horse racing and gambling: comparing attitudes and preferences of racetrack patrons and residents of Sydney, Australia

“…The approach of Neal (2005) is similar to that of Cassidy (2010) who studied gambling activity in betting shops in London. Cassidy is interested in uncovering the diversity of gambling experiences, including the embeddedness of gambling activity as part of everyday life.…”

“…This is particularly the case with racecourse gambling, since much of the research that has been done has involved studies in off-course betting shops (Cassidy, 2010;Neal, 1998Neal, , 2005Saunders, 1981). While the heterogeneity of gamblers is recognised by many authors, few authors have built on the study of 982 betting slips in an Exeter (UK) bookmaker's office by Saunders (1981) that recognised three different types of racing (in his case; hunt races, flat races and dog races).…”

“…Saunders and Turner (1987) in a study of gambling on horse races by residents of south Wales made the important distinction between gambling, compulsive gambling and the leisure perspectives of gamblers. This distinction, while not always acknowledged in the gambling literature that is focused on addictions and problem/ pathological gambling, has influenced anthropological approaches, such as Neal (2005) who used participatory methods to study gambling activity at betting shops and racecourses in the UK over a five-year period. Neal (2005, p. 293) argued that: regardless of methodology, the study of gambling as an activity becomes far more representative when it examines the majority of gamblers who do not get 'hooked', or run into problems -in other words, 'leisure gamblers'.…”

“…Binde (2005aBinde ( , 2005b, Casey (2008) and Phillips and Wilson (2009) have considered gambling as a leisure activity, rather than an individual and social problem. A number of studies (Neal, 1998(Neal, , 2005Rosecrance, 1985;Zola, 1963) have argued that gambling in off-course betting facilities, including Totalisator Agency Boards (TAB's), betting shops or off-track betting (OTB's) is a form of 'social bonding' for regular participants (mostly male).…”