Working Class Gambling
Is gambling more prevalent among the working class?
Action and Control
Ask any working class gambler in the bookies shop or around the roulette wheel why they gamble, and you're likely to receive a similar answer - it's their only chance to make it in life.
The working class man or woman stuck in a humdrum existence in an office or on the shop floor is craving for excitement. They're unlikely to get it at work, and their career paths are such that they're unlikely to end up in management positions with attractive salaries.
Gambling represents a way out of the dull day-to-day drudgery and a possible way to strike it lucky to pay for that new car or fancy holiday. If the working class person wins, for once they're in control of their lives. If they lose, then it's just another tough break that they'll get over, as they have with all the other patches of bad luck in their lives.
Escape
For others, gambling is a way of escaping for the powerlessness that they experience in their daily job. It may also be a way of getting away from the stresses and strains at home where monetary stresses may be all too evident. The working man or woman may feel that their employers or spouses simply don't care about them, and a trip to the casino fulfills a need, making them feel valued and wanted.
Being able to escape provides them with a safety valve that could prevent them from going to seed or bursting a gasket...
Excitement
Gambling is the thrill that's missing in the working man or woman's life. It's a way of getting high without anyone getting hurt - unless, of course, they end up losing, in which case they'll feel worse than they did before having taken the risk.
This type of excitement seeking is something we all crave, even for short bursts of time. We may get our kicks from a few drinks with friends, or going to an exciting movie. However, for the working man or woman, gambling is more than just a little bit of excitement on a Saturday night. It focuses their attention on who they are as people, and what their actual value is as individuals.
