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- Title
"Poker is like cannabis while illegal sports betting is like heroin:" Qualitative study on illegal gambling in Israel.
- Authors
BONNY-NOACH, HAGIT
- Abstract
Background: Israel is considered to be a conservative country regarding gambling, where no legal casinos are allowed. Nevertheless, illegal gambling flourishes, partially visible and partially concealed, both online and physically. But little is known about illegal gambling in Israel, therefore the present study sought to map, understand, and explore the unknown phenomenon of illegal gambling in Israel. Methods: Triangulation by using multiple datasets from various sources, including semi-structured interviews with 28 people who gamble at illegal settings and with 13 policymakers and gambling professionals; online ethnography; physical observations; and data collection from the gray literature. Results: The most salient themes included: (a) a wide, diverse, and complex phenomenon of illegal gambling and gamblers exists in Israel; (b) "Illegal poker is like cannabis while illegal sports betting is like heroin:" the risk of severe addiction and other related problems depend on the type and arena of illegal gambling; (c) illegal gambling is a vague phenomenon in a gray region of Israel legally, morally-religiously, socially, and politically. Recommendation: Policy makers and professionals should be aware of the wide illegal gambling phenomenon in Israel, dispel the ambiguity surrounding it, formulate regulations, and develop a comprehensive gambling policy concerning enforcement, treatment, prevention, and harm reduction.
- Subjects
ISRAEL; SPORTS betting; GAMBLING; POKER; INTERNET gambling; GREY literature
- Publication
Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2023, Vol 12, p106
- ISSN
2062-5871
- Publication type
Article