Late capitalism and gambling

Abstract

The relationship between late capitalism and gambling appears to be a multidimensional connection. On the one hand, late capitalism provides a number of features which support the dynamic development of gambling in the 21st century. The crucial elements are technologisation, globalisation and individualisation. On the other hand, gambling is a metaphor for late capitalism. The basic categories of late capitalism, like dematerialisation, risk or speculation, make it strikingly similar to gambling. They use the same resources, logic and rules. In effect, the analysis of gambling is a useful tool to explore the wider social reality.