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10 Eur. J. Criminology 3 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/eujcrim10 and id is 1 raw text is: [uroean Article rnoogy European journal of Criminology 10(1) 3-21 The experience of gambling in The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permission: sagepub. an illegal casino: The gambling co.ul</journalsPerissions.nav DOl: I0. 1177/I4773708I2455I24 spin process euc.sagepub.com OSAGE Moshe Bensimon,Alon Baruch and Natti Ronel Bar-Ilan University, Israel Abstract The present study depicts the experience of gambling in an illegal casino through a qualitative, phenomenological approach, in light of the criminal spin theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 gamblers and 4 staff members. Qualitative analysis of the data reveals several major categories that describe the participants' experiences: fears in the illegal casino; learning through experience and with the assistance of a mentor; strengthening the sense of potency; a tunnel vision perspective; the growing urge to gamble; losing control; harming the family; and finding a way out of gambling. The findings indicate that the illegal casino created a unique atmosphere for its attendees that fostered a gambling spin that coincides with the motives of spin theory. Keywords Criminal spin, gambling, illegal casino, phenomenology Introduction Gambling is an ancient human activity found in most cultures and parts of the world (Custer and Milt, 1985). Studies have shown that 70-90 percent of adults in Canada and Australia gamble at some point during their lives (Ladouceur, 1991; Productivity Commission, 1999). Although many people regard gambling as a form of entertainment, some individuals develop a pattern of gambling characterized by lack of control, 'chasing' losses, lies and criminal acts, which is defined as 'pathological gambling' (for example, Dannon et al., 2006; Lesieur, 1984) or 'problem gambling' (Clarke et al., 2006; Griffiths, 2006). According to Reith (2008), current research on gambling is moving away from an Corresponding author: Moshe Bensimon, Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel. Email: bensimm@biu.ac.il

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