How did gambling become legitimate?

Mar 22, 2010

Why do some consumption practices become legitimate while others remain stigmatized? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research looks at the way the public discourse regarding casino gambling has shifted in the last 30 years.

"In the last three decades, casino gambling in the United States has grown from a marginal practice to a thriving industry," writes author Ashlee Humphreys (Northwestern University). In the 1950s and early 1960s, one in nine people in the United States gambled in a casino each year, while in 2004, one in four people gambled at a casino. Casino gambling is now legal in 28 states.

Humphreys looked at the shifts in the way the press has represented casino gambling to explore the historical process of legitimization. She examined all newspaper articles with the word "casino" in the headline or lead paragraph from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today from 1980-2007. From this list of 7211, she chose a sample of 600, which she then coded and analyzed.

"I find that over the 27-year period of the newspaper discourse, four fundamental concepts structure talk about casino gambling: purity, filth, wealth, and poverty," writes Humphreys. "Three legal actions in 1976, 1988, and 1999, however, each mark a moment at which talk shifted due to the influence of some external event or institutional change."

According to Humphreys, before 1988, the categories of purity and filth dominated discussions of . But regulatory changes in 1988 prompted a shift to public talk of wealth and poverty. "This reflects the beginning of the incorporation of casinos into dominant institutions of capital and government," writes Humphreys, "but the language of and becomes increasingly used to discuss issues of their establishment and operation."

Humphreys found that regulation and material changes in the environment affected media language. "I find that journalists, because readers interpret their coverage as representing reality, are able to shape consumer perceptions through selection, valuation, and realization."

Explore further: Masked donors: New study reveals why people make large donations anonymously

More information: Ashlee Humphreys. "Semiotic Structure and the Legitimation of Consumption Practices: The Case of Casino Gambling." Journal of Consumer Research: October 2010. A preprint of this article (to be officially published online soon) can be found at journals.uchicago.edu/jcr

add to favorites email to friend print save as pdf

Related Stories

Gaming machines affecting well-being

Dec 22, 2008

(PhysOrg.com) -- Electronic gaming machines have a detrimental impact upon the lives of those who use them and their associates, according to new research.

Canadian charged in US in Internet gambling case

Aug 06, 2009

A Canadian resident was indicted in the United States on fraud and related charges for processing some 350 million dollars for Internet gambling firms, officials said Thursday.

Recommended for you

New study offers insight into how to best manage workaholics

3 hours ago

(Phys.org) —Workaholics tend to live in extremes, with great job satisfaction and creativity on the one hand and high levels of frustration and exhaustion on the other hand. Now, a new Florida State University study offers ...

The tea party and the politics of paranoia

4 hours ago

Members of tea party claim the movement springs from and promotes basic American conservative principles such as limited government and fiscal responsibility.

The new retirement: No retirement?

4 hours ago

For growing numbers of Americans, the new retirement may really mean no retirement. That's the conclusion of an article in the current issue of the ISR Sampler, the annual magazine of the University of Michigan Institute ...

User comments : 1

Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank

Display comments: newest first

Simonsez
not rated yet Mar 23, 2010
So the ultimate finding of this study was not necessarily about gambling itself, but rather more proof that language used in media is a potent tool for guiding consumer trends. This is nothing new, but it is certainly interesting in the context. Gambling has been frowned upon for a long time as a fool's pasttime, though I know many today who love to gamble their money at casinos and as I google the subject I am hard pressed to find many negative articles.

Given the conclusion, I wonder how many other of today's accepted practices have become so through the intervention of media?

More news stories

Striking a balance on taxes

Now that April 15 has come and gone, most Americans have turned their attention away from taxes. But MIT student Stefanie Stantcheva continues to ponder the trade-offs associated with taxation.

The new retirement: No retirement?

For growing numbers of Americans, the new retirement may really mean no retirement. That's the conclusion of an article in the current issue of the ISR Sampler, the annual magazine of the University of Michigan Institute ...

Costs to treat stroke in America may double by 2030

Costs to treat stroke are projected to more than double and the number of people having strokes may increase 20 percent by 2030, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.