ABSTRACT
This chapter builds upon this research by examining online gamblers' experiences of fraud and theft that take place in and around online gambling sites. It examines the principal characteristics of crimes committed by site operators and their personnel, players and other 'criminal entrepreneurs'. The chapter demonstrates how, in particular, opportunities for fraud and theft present themselves throughout unregulated jurisdictions and at unlicensed sites. It examines the 'lived meanings' of a subculture of online gamblers that I term 'advantage players'. This subcultural grouping is of interest because they engage with a variety of licensed and unlicensed online gambling operators throughout a significant number of different jurisdictions. The chapter offers an important insight into how some online gamblers engage with an environment in which unlicensed operators are prevalent, regulation is plagued by ambiguity and consumer protection measures are of variable quality. It demonstrates how advantage players as potential victims experience the transcendent thrill of putting oneself in harm's way and surviving.
