Betting on Black and White: Race and the Making of Problem Gambling By
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Betting on Black and White: Race and the Making of Problem Gambling by Rose Marie Buckelew Department of Sociology Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Supervisor ___________________________ Linda M. Burton ___________________________ Linda K. George ___________________________ Carol Stack Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 ABSTRACT Betting on Black and White: Race and Making of Problem Gambling by Rose Marie Buckelew Department of Sociology Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Supervisor ___________________________ Linda M. Burton ___________________________ Linda K. George ___________________________ Carol Stack An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 Copyright by Rose Marie Buckelew 2015 Abstract Problem gambling, a fairly recent addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is estimated to affect between two and five percent of the US adult population (Volberg 2001). While present in all racial groups, this disorder is not evenly distributed, as Blacks are more likely than any other group to become problem gamblers (Welte et al. 2006). And while this pattern is consistent with those found with other disorders (Black 1984; Ford and Widiger 1989; Strakowski et al. 1993), it is important to note that thirty years ago, when the first study of problem gambling prevalence was conducted and the disease had only recently been institutionalized, there was no difference in rate of illness by race (Kallick et al. 1979). This dissertation aims to explore this phenomenon: the role of race in the making of problem of gambling. Through a multi-site and multi-method approach, this study examines the assumed race neutrality of gambling addiction. By tracing the history of gambling policy and North Carolina’s adoption of a lottery program, this study explores how the state further defined problem gambling as a mental illness. Following this, participant observation of state-sponsored problem gambling counselor training workshops provides insight into the ways racialized understandings of behavior are constructed and maintained through counselor education. To gain a sense of how gambling is lived, this study involves participant observation of lottery gambling in convenience stores to iv interrogate racialized conceptions of behavior and reveal how financial gain motivates gambling across groups. v Dedication For Jossem and Fahad. vi Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... x Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... xi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 “He Won’t Eat, But He Will Gamble.” ........................................................................... 1 1.2 Why Study Problem Gambling? ..................................................................................... 3 1.3 Race and Problem Gambling ........................................................................................... 6 1.4 North Carolina as a Case Study ...................................................................................... 6 1.5 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Data and Methods ............................................................................................................. 9 1.6.1 A Multi-Site Project ...................................................................................................... 9 1.6.2 Multi-Method Project ................................................................................................ 10 1.7 Organization of Dissertation ......................................................................................... 11 2. Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 14 2.1 The Shifting Characteristics of Problem Gamblers .................................................... 14 2.2 Who is a Gambling Addict? .......................................................................................... 15 2.3 Explanations .................................................................................................................... 17 2.4 Theoretical Orientations ................................................................................................. 20 3. The State .................................................................................................................................... 25 3.1 History of Gambling Policy in the US .......................................................................... 28 3.2 Prohibition, Legalization, and Tensions ...................................................................... 32 vii 3.3 The Beginning of Problem Gambling ........................................................................... 34 3.4 Definitional Shifts in the DSM ...................................................................................... 37 3.4 Development of North Carolina’s Problem Gambling Program ............................. 39 3.6 Agents and Agencies of Change ................................................................................... 40 4. The Counselor .......................................................................................................................... 44 4.1 “If You Don’t Know the Culture, You Can Do More Harm Than Good” .............. 44 4.2 Literature .......................................................................................................................... 46 4.3 Methods ............................................................................................................................ 47 4.4 Problem Gambling Treatment Education in North Carolina ................................... 50 4.5 From Diversity to Competency ..................................................................................... 53 4.6. The Diversity Daisy ....................................................................................................... 55 4.7 The Pathological Behavior of People of Color ............................................................ 58 4.8 White Normativity and Invisibility .............................................................................. 61 4.9 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 63 5. The Gambler ............................................................................................................................. 68 5.1 “It’s an Investment, Baby.” ............................................................................................ 68 5.2 The Problematics of Lottery Gambling Research ....................................................... 72 5.2.1 Who Plays the Lottery? ............................................................................................. 73 5.2.2 Why Do People Gamble? .......................................................................................... 74 5.3 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 78 5.4 Back to the Mini-Mart ..................................................................................................... 78 5.5 Explanations .................................................................................................................... 81 viii 5.6 Motivations ...................................................................................................................... 84 5.7 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 88 6. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 90 6.1 Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 92 6.2 Future Research ............................................................................................................... 95 6.3 Policy Implications .......................................................................................................... 96 Biography .................................................................................................................................... 109 ix List of Tables Table 1: Participant Observations and Participant Interviews ............................................. 11 x Acknowledgements I would like to thank my dissertation committee – Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Linda Burton, Linda George, and Carol Stack – for their support, encouragement,