ABSTRACT
Games of chance are one part of a universal classification of games offered many years ago by Roger Caillois that still proves practically useful in classifying games in both their substance and purpose. Western-style casino gambling has spread its stereotyped and largely automated activities across much of the world, yet some primitive superstition remains along with more socially acceptable aspects of engaging in what might otherwise be seen as purposeless play. Islam and B. F. Skinner argue against gambling, both on moral grounds, to little use. Cross-cultural studies of children’s play have been widely available for a long time, and children’s games and toys contain much adaptable material for demonstrations. Turning to gambling itself, surveys could be conducted to see how far, for instance, Peter Gray’s observation of the over-representation of young males among gambling populations or the observation of cross-cultural gender differences in risk perception matches the local population.
