Age of Chance

This fascinating and extensive study, enlivened by interviews with British and American gamblers, will be enthralling reading not just for those interested in the cultural and social implications of gambling - researchers in sociology, cultural studies and the history of ideas - but for anyone interested in how we create meaning in an increasingly insecure world. Introduction Chapter One: The Idea of Chance The age of faith: The origins of chance Chance and determinism The age of reason: The birth of probability The age of chance: Chance and modernity Chapter Two: The Pursuit of Chance Gambling and Divination The Seventeenth Century Explosion The Nineteenth Century: Playing with numbers Postscript: the vortex of vice Chapter Three: Playgrounds - A Map of the Modern Gambling Sites Modern Gambling The Map: A Typology of Gambling The sites: Playgrounds Chapter Four: The Experience of Play The Experience of Play The Categories of Play The Varieties of Gambling Experience Chapter Five: The Magical-Religious Worldview The Rejection of Probability The Magical Worldview: Participation The Religious Worldview: Transcendence Epilogue