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Chapter 9 - What Gambling Was

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2023

Jared Poley
Jared Poley
Affiliation:
Georgia State University
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Summary

Gambling in this period was never just about gambling; it always represented something else or spoke to some bigger set of concerns. It was thought to be a neutered form of aggression, made socially acceptable through the relentless power of the civilizing process but flowering in the novel context of the resort casino. Gambling was a way to connect to prior forms of existence, and it functioned as a substitute for socially unacceptable practices. Gambling is also contrasted with other forms of risk: insurance and speculation. Some observers took a pro-gambling approach, noting the unique skills it cultivates or its basis in nature.

Keywords

moralityaggressioninsuranceriskspeculationevolutionatavismplaygreedprimitivity
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Chapter
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Luck, Leisure, and the Casino in Nineteenth-Century Europe
A Cultural History of Gambling
 , pp. 181 - 198
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • What Gambling Was
  • Jared Poley, Georgia State University
  • Book: Luck, Leisure, and the Casino in Nineteenth-Century Europe
  • Online publication: 24 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009393539.010
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  • What Gambling Was
  • Jared Poley, Georgia State University
  • Book: Luck, Leisure, and the Casino in Nineteenth-Century Europe
  • Online publication: 24 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009393539.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • What Gambling Was
  • Jared Poley, Georgia State University
  • Book: Luck, Leisure, and the Casino in Nineteenth-Century Europe
  • Online publication: 24 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009393539.010
Available formats
×