The Effect of Inequality and Prosperity on the European Market for Gambling Machines: A Socioeconomic Panel Analysis.

This study examines the potential influence of prosperity and inequality on gambling participation in Europe. We combined data from the Eurostat database, the Global Wealth Report, and the European Casino Association and estimated fixed effects panel regression models. We show that income inequality has a negative effect on the number of gambling machines that flattens for high values, while wealth inequality has a linear negative effect. Moreover, an increase in the disposable income of the lower quintiles leads to significant increases in the number of gambling machines per country. These findings are important for future researchers who relate any kind of economic variable to gambling as well as for policy makers, as our results suggest that the lower-income groups should be given the most attention with regards to gambling regulation.

Gambling as Work: A Study of German Poker Players.

The study addresses the question whether professional gamblers can be considered an occupational group from a sociological perspective. It combines survey data on poker players from the German state North Rhine-Westphalia with sociological theory in order to explain the oxymoron of professional gambling. The descriptive analysis of the survey data is supplemented by ego-centric network data of the poker players to analyze whether hobby and professional players maintain different forms of social relationships. Even when semiprofessionals and professional players are grouped together for the purpose of comparative analysis, they fulfill the criteria of occupational groups according to Salaman's major work on the topic. The study points to the fact that more research on occupational groups outside of the common fields is needed and bridges the gap between the literature on serious leisure and sociological research on professions and professionalization.

Gambling and financial markets a comparison from a regulatory perspective.

This article discusses similarities between the finance industry and the gambling industry. It considers empirical studies from both fields and compares both industries with regard to possible substitution effects. Afterwards, the current regulatory approach to gambling and financial markets is discussed. Based on this literature review, the author points out that regulators need to acknowledge the fact that both markets possess addictive properties and attract certain risk-seeking individuals. Moreover, the regulators need to find a way to align their fundamentally different objectives to find common solutions to cross-industry problems. Finally, an increased cooperation between (state) authorities is necessary. This cooperation could help to protect traders from developing gambling-related problems, provide significant insights for industry-wide and product-specific regulation and lead to a more informed use of technology for harm prevention purposes. The most important similarities and differences of both markets and the resulting regulatory implications are briefly summarized.