Gambling and Consumption

Gambling is a consumption decision (e.g., Garvía 2007: 644; Casey 2008). Sociologist Emma Casey (2008: 3), who has studied British working-class women’s  xperiences of the National lottery, points out that buying a lottery ticket is a very popular routine purchase with unique mass appeal. Nonethele...

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Main Author: Riitta Matilainen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Suomen Antropologinen Seura (Finnish Anthropological Society) 2011-01-01
Series:Suomen Antropologi
Online Access:https://journal.fi/suomenantropologi/article/view/156838
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author Riitta Matilainen
author_facet Riitta Matilainen
author_sort Riitta Matilainen
collection DOAJ
description Gambling is a consumption decision (e.g., Garvía 2007: 644; Casey 2008). Sociologist Emma Casey (2008: 3), who has studied British working-class women’s  xperiences of the National lottery, points out that buying a lottery ticket is a very popular routine purchase with unique mass appeal. Nonetheless, gambling can still have a rather dubious image. Sociologist Colin Campbell (1998: 235, 238) describes the tendency of intellectual discussions of consumption to use a dichotomy of need and want. The former is viewed as ‘a legitimate activity’, because it satisfies what is necessary, whereas catering to ‘non-essential’ or ‘superficial’ desires is seen to be driven by ‘ethically dubious motives’. The rhetoric of need has therefore dominated the study of consumption as well as the views of ordinary people. As gambling falls into the ‘want’ category it has had the unfortunate fate of having been regarded as something unnecessary and objectionable.
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spelling doaj-art-27f4747e85a54303838fc83eacef16f82025-02-10T04:53:16ZengSuomen Antropologinen Seura (Finnish Anthropological Society)Suomen Antropologi1799-89722011-01-0136110.30676/jfas.156838Gambling and ConsumptionRiitta Matilainen0University of Helsinki Gambling is a consumption decision (e.g., Garvía 2007: 644; Casey 2008). Sociologist Emma Casey (2008: 3), who has studied British working-class women’s  xperiences of the National lottery, points out that buying a lottery ticket is a very popular routine purchase with unique mass appeal. Nonetheless, gambling can still have a rather dubious image. Sociologist Colin Campbell (1998: 235, 238) describes the tendency of intellectual discussions of consumption to use a dichotomy of need and want. The former is viewed as ‘a legitimate activity’, because it satisfies what is necessary, whereas catering to ‘non-essential’ or ‘superficial’ desires is seen to be driven by ‘ethically dubious motives’. The rhetoric of need has therefore dominated the study of consumption as well as the views of ordinary people. As gambling falls into the ‘want’ category it has had the unfortunate fate of having been regarded as something unnecessary and objectionable. https://journal.fi/suomenantropologi/article/view/156838
spellingShingle Riitta Matilainen
Gambling and Consumption
Suomen Antropologi
title Gambling and Consumption
title_full Gambling and Consumption
title_fullStr Gambling and Consumption
title_full_unstemmed Gambling and Consumption
title_short Gambling and Consumption
title_sort gambling and consumption
url https://journal.fi/suomenantropologi/article/view/156838
work_keys_str_mv AT riittamatilainen gamblingandconsumption