ABSTRACT
AsCornishsuccinctlyobserves,'Gamblinghasalwaystendedtooccupy anequivocalpositioninnationallife,attractingbothmassivepublic participationandcontinuouscriticismonmoral,socialandeconomic grounds'.1IncomparingattitudestogamblingbetweentheVictorianage andthecurrentera,thischapterfocusesonthefollowingbroadthemes: firstly.discussionofthebasisofthevariousobjectionstogambling,noting theshiftinperceptionofgambling'sproblematicnature,fromarampant socialmalaiseafflictinglargetractsofsociety,toitspresentmedicalised confinementwithinarelativelysmallsectorofthecommunity.Secondly, thelegalstatusofgamblingwillbeconsideredalongsideattemptsby governmenttoinitiallyregulateandlatterlyderegulateitsvariousforms. Thirdly,thedevelopmentofgamblingasaburgeoningindustrygenerating considerableemploymentandstaterevenueistraced.Finallythepersistent connectionbetweengamblingandscandalisexplored.Thoughthesebroad themesarehighlighted,theyalsoimpingeuponandintertwinewithone another,withfundamentalunderlyingissuessuchassocialclass.
