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Gambling is a topic that can arouse a wide range of passionate and often controversial opinions. Is it a harmless pastime or a dangerous addiction? Does it corrupt the state or contribute much-needed funds to local communities? Whether we like it or not, gambling is now a major economic force in the United States. It pays $2.9 billion in taxes, creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, and as an industry has expanded tenfold in the last twenty-five years.
This book provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking collection of articles by internationally recognized experts in the study of...

From the Apophoreta of Imperial Rome to the ersatz grandeur of Las Vegas, from ritual divination to weekly lottery fever, individuals have pitted themselves against the chaotic forces of Fate. The Age of Reason promised to bring such forces within our control, but as we look around us, it appears that life has never been more uncertain: risk, speculation and flux are our constant companions. We have entered the Age of Chance. Characteristic of this age is the increasing popularity of gambling throughout western society. Gerda Reith examines its enduring appeal, exploring its complex relation...

In this engaging new book Gerda Reith introduces the key theoretical concepts in the sociology of consumption, considering the work of Foucault, Bataille and Bourdieu, amongst others. Through this she addresses the role of consumption in the creation of individual identity and in the formation of social groups based on lifestyle and leisure pursuits. She also assesses how our concept of 'normal' consumption has grown out of efforts to regulate behaviour which might otherwise be defined as disruptive or deviant and how in the contemporary world the 'dark side' of consumption has been...