Commercialization and culture in Australian gambling

Gambling has a prominent place in Australian culture. Following the liberalization of commercial gambling in the 1970s, Australia entered into an intensive phase of industrializing gambling as a form of mass entertainment and a significant source of public revenue and private profit. An important part of the industrialization of gambling has been technological transformation, which has made possible the production and distribution of new and enhanced gambling commodities. Knowledgeable actors in betting markets have always been required to adapt themselves to contingencies in assessing risks. These contingencies now include those that arise from institutional arrangements designed to protect commercial house advantage or provide credible gambling products to a mass market. This paper analyses the example of controversy surrounding betting on AFL matches, to shed light on dynamic interaction between gambling consumption, the introduction of technology and gambling commodities, and the culture of the game.