Vocabularies of gambling justification among Finnish and French players

Abstract

Psychological studies have tended to understand gambling motives as preconceived and individualistic. However, from a sociological point of view motives can only be conceived after the act has taken place, forming vocabularies of justifying one’s action to make it rational in the eyes of others. Motives cannot be taken at face value but as expressions of what is thought to be culturally acceptable. Using group interview data, this comparative study between Finnish and French gamblers asks how gambling is justified in these two cultural contexts. Different vocabularies of justification were found. While the French emphasised the dream of winning large sums of money, the Finns highlighted personal development. The results confirm that cultural aspects should be considered more in gambling research as the vocabularies of justifying gambling are connected to the cultural and institutional context in question.