Ex-England cricket captain Mike Atherton is
in journalistic mode as he presents a compact well-written survey of gambling –
its history, development and current trends.
He covers a lot of ground, giving first-hand
accounts as he reports from a Las Vegas casino and the BBC national lottery
draw; from Cheltenham’s national hunt race meeting and a bookie's in
Paddington; from the European Masters poker tournament and the premises of
GamCare, the gambling addiction helpline.
Despite the wide range the coverage is by no
means superficial. The social history is rich in detail; the intricacies of
betting and laying are clearly explained (apart from spread betting which
remains a mystery); and the case studies of ‘professional’ gamblers are
instructive. The psychology of the gambler is touched on but, probably wisely,
no conclusions drawn.
It is a fascinating read and Atherton (who
likes a flutter) while not being overly judgemental, does identify worrying
trends in the current boom in gambling: corruption in sport fuelled by the vast
sums bet; deregulation of the industry as tax revenues and globalisation outweigh
the damaging effects on society; and the ubiquitous internet giving all too
easy opportunities, 24/7, to gamble, lose, sink into debt and slide into
addiction.
It is not by chance his final chapter chronicles
a meeting of the Hammersmith branch of Gamblers Anonymous, where those gathered
have to live ‘one day at a time’.
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