Gambling and leisure: the case of racing

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Abstract
While betting on races of one kind or another has been extensively discussed by theorists who are interested in aspects of compulsive gambling and social policy, little attention has been paid to leisure perspectives in the study of betting populations. The present paper addresses the enjoyable and commonplace pastime of gambling as a leisurely pursuit, and focuses on the off-track betting office for a more detailed analysis of the variety of customer and staff groupings, career patterns, and life-styles. Such a typology is based on observations of five gambling enivronments within South Wales, and includes the identification of gambling bars as well as the more frequently recognized betting offices. The authors conclude that recent innovations in both technology and legislation have had, and will continue to have, profound effects on customers and the traditional small-time bookmaker.

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