Gambling: The misunderstood sport— a problem in social definition

The prevailing social science perspective views gambling as a socially deviant activity with detrimental consequences for the individual and society. This paper presents an alternative perspective which views gambling as human play sharing much of the structural and functional components of acceptable sport activity. Gambling has conventional rules for defining participation, for determining legitimate winning and losing, and for judging expert performance. It also has regulatory commissions, standardized equipment, symbols, an element of sociability, and it promotes a collective validation of the basic values of society. This perspective allows the social scientist to examine gambling behavior in a theoretical framework which focuses on the features of gambling shared in common with other legitimate sport activity. This paper explores two popular forms of social gambling, race track and casino, showing how they reflect contemporary American culture while they provide recreation for players. We have found among recreational gamblers a well developed subculture that places their form of play directly in the mainstream of American values, despite the moral critics who proclaim gambling to be a major social problem. In fact, the gambling problem may be better understood as an ideological conflict between gamblers and the moral judges of the proprietary limits and functions of sports.