House of cards : the legalization and control of casino gambling

Abstract

The first chapter of this work begins with a discussion of whether gambling is play or pathology and considers alternative legal models for the social control of vice. The gambling casino is introduced from the player's point of view — as a house of stimulation, action, excitement. It is also considered from the manager's point of view — as a house of profit. After considering the casino as a social organization, the book offers three chapters on the history of this pariah industry, its search for revenue and respectability, and the growth of its legal controls. The remainder of the book considers control from the perspective of the agency carrying out its regulatory mandate. In conclusion, the book returns to a discussion of models in detail and compares England's control system with Nevada's.