Canadian dream, capitalism, and the state: Structural conditions of youth gambling in Canada

This dissertation is concerned with the development of an understanding youth gambling behavior in a variety of gambling formats. As such, it inquires into cultural, political and economic structures that not only structure youth's gambling activities but also provide them with their motivational bases. More specifically, it asks what are the cultural values that inform youth gambling behavior? And, how do economic and political imperatives sustain and promote such activities? It is argued that youth's gambling must be contextualized within various mediations of the following structural conditions: the Canadian state's pro-gambling policies; the discrepancy between widely shared Canadian cultural values—the acquisition of wealth and its attendant attributed success—and legitimate means of achieving them; and, the capitalist processes of profit making and commodification. The collected data corroborated all arguments. It was found that: (1) Canadian state's pro-gambling policies provide ample opportunities for youth to gamble; (2) the discrepancy between belief in material success and means of achieving them presents gambling as a substitute means for youth to obtain the former; and (3) commodification of gambling has made gambling both appealing and readily available to youth.