Qualitative Research in Gambling: Exploring the Production

Our review of Qualitative Research in Gambling finds it most valuable for academics, social researchers and policy analysts who need a rigorous, method-driven exploration of gambling as a changing social and cultural phenomenon. This Open Access volume emphasizes methodological flexibility and mixed approaches, making it the single best choice for readers seeking work that goes beyond problem gambling paradigms to follow regulatory, technical and political shifts. The book is written to inform research design and interpretation rather than provide quick answers, so readers after practical intervention manuals should look elsewhere.

Key Features

• Open Access availability: The book is freely available online under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license, enabling easy access for students and researchers.
• Methodological focus: It advocates mixed and flexible qualitative methods that help researchers track changes in gambling products, technology and regulation across contexts.
• Interdisciplinary perspective: Contributors push beyond single-discipline limits, encouraging readers to combine political, technical and cultural lenses when studying gambling.
• Contemporary relevance: The chapters attend to recent industry scale and innovation, helping readers understand how new products and technologies reshape practice and risk.
• Research design guidance: The text offers practical examples and arguments for responsive, agile approaches useful for fieldwork planning and interpretation.

Who It's For

Primarily this book suits graduate students, academic researchers and policy advisers interested in the social study of gambling, regulation and risk. Its emphasis on mixed qualitative methods and interdisciplinary analysis makes it a solid resource for building study designs or teaching advanced seminars on gambling and cultural risk.

It is less suited to casual readers seeking entertainment histories, quick industry primers, or prescriptive treatment guides focused on individual problem gambling; the book is oriented toward research practice and conceptual framing rather than popular summaries or clinical protocols.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Open Access format removes paywall barriers, improving reach for students and institutions.
• Clear advocacy for mixed, flexible methods helps researchers adapt to rapidly changing gambling landscapes.
• Interdisciplinary chapters broaden analytical options beyond the dominant problem gambling paradigm.

Cons

• The text is academic in tone and assumes familiarity with qualitative methods, which may be a limitation for general audiences.

Specifications

Title	Qualitative Research in Gambling: Exploring the Production and Consumption of Risk
Authors / Editors	Rebecca Cassidy, Andrea Pisac, Claire Loussouarn
Access	Open Access via publisher site under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Subject focus	Gambling studies, qualitative methods, risk, regulation
Intended audience	Researchers, graduate students, policy analysts
Approach	Interdisciplinary, mixed qualitative methodologies

Our Verdict

Qualitative Research in Gambling is a well-argued, methodically focused collection that offers excellent value to anyone designing or teaching qualitative studies of gambling, risk and regulation. Its Open Access status and emphasis on flexible, mixed methods make it particularly useful for academic use and policy-informed research, though its academic tone means it is best suited to readers with some methodological grounding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book free to read?
Yes. The Open Access version is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license on the publisher site.

Who are the editors?
The volume is edited by Rebecca Cassidy, Andrea Pisac and Claire Loussouarn.

Does the book focus on problem gambling only?
No. The collection explicitly encourages moving beyond the dominant problem gambling paradigm to examine broader political, technical and cultural dynamics.