Ethnography Essay

Towering Hundreds of feet in the air you might have noticed a casino near your town or city. These large complexes are basically a money making machine. Usually Owned by the Native American Culture. These are the main source of income on the reservation for these tribes (Native American Casinos). Although used by Native Tribes in America the First Casino originated in Italy in 1638. The Casinos are a place where many average Americans spin the wheel of luck trying to win a profit on their money. Now the chances of winning big vary as there are many different tiers of gambling. You can have very little money and play on the slots or you can be a high-roller and spend hundreds or thousands on games of black-jack or poker.

Gambling has made immense impacts on the everyday lives of a countless amount of people. Somehow this western pastime has integrated and almost taken control of the Asian and American Asian communities. The gambling issue within the Asian culture has affected families, and individuals in such drastic ways. Within the last few years we have seen an immense outburst of gambling in Macau, which is now the gambling capital of the world. Along with the recent outburst of gambling in Macau we find the dark side of gambling. The illegal activities that follow gambling have taken a toll on society as well as the people involved. Also we quickly see the economic impact made by all the money flowing through Macau. Gambling

With his knowledge of gambling, Malcolm X explains how the practice of it is similar to the viewpoints of blacks towards whites during the 1930s and 1940s. The white

The crisp slicing of cards, shimmering dresses, sharp suits, dealers shouting, clouds of smoke from cigarettes, and coins spitting out from glowing slot machines is the modern day gambling that we know today. Thinking of gambling in America has always brought attention to prospering cities like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Gambling unfortunately has created a dark subculture that surrounds gaming such as: crime, prostitution, and loansharking. An evolution of security and the disappearance of the mob have made gaming safer for the family since the mid 19th century. These two cities have defined what society knows of gambling in America. They draw million of tourist and have

Gambling has made immense impacts on the everyday lives of a countless amount of people. Somehow this western pastime has integrated and almost taken control of the Asian and American Asian communities. The gambling issue within the Asian culture has affected families, and individuals in such drastic ways. Within the last few years we have seen an immense outburst of gambling in Macau, which is now the gambling capital of the world. Along with the recent outburst of gambling in Macau we find the dark side of gambling. The illegal activities that follow gambling have taken a toll on society as well as the people involved. Also we quickly see the economic impact made by all the money flowing through Macau. Gambling has taken over the lives of many of the people in Asia from a very young age, with this in mind, we must realize it may not be what we would define as an addiction, rather something that is big a part of their culture and social interaction.

This film explicitly demonstrates that gambling is a part of all of the characters’ lives.. The one character who does not gamble for most of the Film is Bernie because he had such bad luck and was a recovering problem gambler. Even Bernie caves into gambling at the end of the film by betting all of the money he had on the craps table. The film does not focus on any specific character gambling and shows hundreds of men and women gambling during the movie. The different faces gambling only adds to the idea that everybody gambles, normalizing this behavior as a part of everyday life. The majority of the gamblers were older white, affluent males. Interestingly enough, this conflicts with a 2002 United States gambling survey, which found that increases in socioeconomic status led to decreases in gambling involvement (Welte 2002). While the study did take place between 5 to 10 years after the film, the demography of the film also still far underrepresents minority participation in gambling. Gender stereotypes which were more accurate was that men mainly played action games while women played escape games like slots. Similar to other features in the film, the demographics in the casino are blatant and obvious, no woman ever rolls the dice on the craps table, and no man ever pulls the lever of a slot machine.

When choosing to gamble their hard-earned money and although most do not believe they are going to win, consumers are spending their money on the emotions and feelings the activity of gambling conjures. Consumers gamble because they want to feel the high of an adrenaline rush, escape the pressures of their daily lives, and feel as if they are engaging in risky behavior without actually betting their life in exchange for the rush. The feelings of exuberance and anticipation are most of the package deal in which consumers invest when they make the decision to bet their money inside a casino, or in any other gambling environment. Although consumers know the odds are not stacked in their favor for significant monetary gain, the feelings and

The first major casinos were opened in Reno. The next 10 years until the 40's was when Las Vegas really grew. "Clubs arose, neon lights soared the skies and entertainment engulfed the streets" (Cardoza 7-11). Las Vegas was like no other; it replaced currency with chips, around the clock gambling and nearly a total absence of clocks. After nearly 50 years in success Las Vegas finally took on a competitor. In 1978 the state of New Jersey legalized gambling (Cardoza 15-17).

This day in age gambling has become a pastime that virtually everyone partakes in at least a few times in their lives. Nothing is quite as exhilarating as wasting some of your hard earned money to have a chance at winning big. This is the premise that many people believe and is partially why gambling and specifically casino gambling is so popular. The topic that I chose to do this sociological episode on is indeed casino gambling. The reason that I chose this topic is because of its ease of access due to my busy work schedule. Additionally, I was interested in finding the age, race, gender, and attitudes of the people around me while I did my observation.

When it comes playing casino games from slots to poker, players and casino regulars have one over-riding objective- to win the game and the jackpot. Who wouldn’t want to win beat other players and the casino, and fetch massive jackpots along the way? Unfortunately, this is not always the case for players who take on the challenge of casino games. In casino gaming, losses are natural, and there’s a big chance that one loses than wins big. Failure to win every single spin or game online is not an excuse to stop playing casino games, thanks to the random number generators and the promise of jackpots. But there is one more thing that can motivate players to play more even if they lose some games along the way- the casino’s cash back refund. If

Online blackjack as a game is simply timeless. It has been played for hundreds of years and does a fantastic job of blending together skill, luck, and pure entertainment. As the game has blossomed in the digital era, it seems that player numbers have sky rocketed. However, as player numbers have grown so has the number of online blackjack myths, many of which are regularly discussed on online casino portals around Europe. These myths may seem innocuous on first glance, but the reality is that they can be fairly detrimental to the game. Taking the step to set the record straight, the following busts several commonly discussed online blackjack myths.

Different venue can also affect social relationships, and environmental air at the scene of gambling activities. Players prefer to engage

As you requested on August 2012, our report outlines the findings into how to minimize social problems arising from gambling. Since casino started operations, casino-related crimes have been occurring on average once a month. The more worrying trends are the increasing number of addicts and regression of their age. It has been reported that more youths 18 – 21 are seeking help for their addictions. (Channelnewsasia.com, February 8, 2012)

When you walk into a casino, the first thing to greet you upon your arrival is usually a bright and shiny video lottery machine, better know as a slot machine. Slot machines are easy to play, and you can play at your own pace without having to deal with other humans. They are comforting and simple, leaving the user with an easy task of pushing a putting or pulling a lever. However, they hold a dirty secret too. The worst odds of all the games you can play at a casino are those shiny slot machines, with the house having an edge of 10% or more (compared to a 1% house edge in blackjack for example). Casinos have designed their hotels to take advantage of this edge, placing slot machines as far

Bloomberg described casinos as an industry that profits from people betting against the odds is looking for more risk takers online and in Asia (Bloomberg). Any time we are betting online or in the casinos, we consider ourselves as risk takers because of taking chances on winning or losing. Peter Mason describes casinos as a place that people legally allows people to engage in activities of gambling and recreational consumption, can also directly and indirectly impacts are somehow tangible and intangible in the host community, in which casino gamblers interact with local environment, economy, and society (Mason, 2003).