ABSTRACT
Freedom is a core part of any democracy, but as discussed in this book so far, notions of democracy and associated freedoms are multilayered, and this complexity creates opportunities to exploit their various meanings by channeling them in particular directions. In this chapter, I examine ways in which conceptions of freedom are utilized by gambling industry representatives and their allies. I argue that it is, ironically, through manipulations of understandings of freedom that gambling industry representatives seek to disguise the real threats to freedom and democracy that their activities pose. To illustrate this, the chapter draws on comments made through newspapers regarding the expansion of casinos in New Zealand.1 Although the discussion is specific to a particular time and place, the processes and justifications described are common to other jurisdictions in which commercial gambling has expanded rapidly.2
