Abstract
The present study depicts the experience of gambling in an illegal casino through a qualitative, phenomenological approach, in light of the criminal spin theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 gamblers and 4 staff members. Qualitative analysis of the data reveals several major categories that describe the participants' experiences: fears in the illegal casino; learning through experience and with the assistance of a mentor; strengthening the sense of potency; a tunnel vision perspective; the growing urge to gamble; losing control; harming the family; and finding a way out of gambling. The findings indicate that the illegal casino created a unique atmosphere for its attendees that fostered a gambling spin that coincides with the motives of spin theory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-21 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | European Journal of Criminology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2013 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We wish to thank the participants who shared their experiences with us. We thank the Schnitzer Foundation for Research on the Israeli Economy and Society for supporting this research.
Funding
We wish to thank the participants who shared their experiences with us. We thank the Schnitzer Foundation for Research on the Israeli Economy and Society for supporting this research.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Schnitzer Foundation for Research on the Israeli Economy and Society |
Keywords
- Criminal spin
- gambling
- illegal casino
- phenomenology
