Gambling on the future : video lottery terminals and social change in rural Newfoundland

Abstract

This thesis explores the roles played by video lottery terminals (VLTs) in the lives of twenty- five regular gamblers living in a rural, fishery-dependent region of eastern Newfoundland. The introduction of VLTs into these communities occurred during a particularly dynamic historical period. The sudden availability of electronic gambling machines in clubs throughout the province during the early 1990s coincided closely with the federal government's declaration of a moratorium on the fishery for northern cod, the economic staple of the region. The restructuring of social and economic life that was induced by the fishery closure, and the resulting compensation programs, helped to create conditions in which the playing of VLTs assumed tremendous importance in the lives of certain area residents. These changes, in conjunction with a long history of economic dependency, stimulated the development of a distinct set of values which influenced the ways in which players learned to relate to each other, and to the machines.