Abstract
The thesis addresses a number of important issues within the social world of the off-course betting office. It more specifically identified the main roles and key players in the performing of gambling scenes associated with such environments. Through the use of a multi-disciplinary approach (which draws heavily on the work of Goffman) the world of the gambler, as located in such settings, is revealed in a clear and understandable way. Such an approach maximised the strengths of an interpretive approach and allowed for an understanding of what gambling means to bettors themselves.Through the use of a questionnaire, participant observation and interviews of representatives from all participating groups a rich source of commentaries was collected. The analysis of this data demonstrated that, despite the concentration of previous research on the loss of control elements of gambling, most participants encountered within the three year investigation were fully in control of what they were doing. In this respect they were less concerned with the financial elements of betting and more interested in enjoying themselves.
| Date of Award | Jun 1992 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Danny Saunders (Supervisor) |