A tap on the shoulder : the disciplinary techniques and logics of anti-pokie apps

In this paper we explore the rise of antigambling apps in the context of the massive expansion of gambling in new spheres of life (online and offline) and an acceleration in strategies of anticipatory and individualised management of harm caused by gambling. These apps, and the techniques and forms of labour they demand, are examples of and a mechanism through which a mode of governance premised on ‘selfcare’ and ‘selfcontrol’ is articulated and put into practice. To support this argument, we explore two government initiatives in the Australian context.