| Summary: | This study represents seven adolescents’ perspective on online poker gambling. The purpose of this study is to analyze and describe adolescents’ thoughts and experiences of online poker gambling, thus gaining a deeper knowledge and understanding of how gambling affects youths in their living conditions and in their identity development. This was done by studying the symbolism and meaning that gambling has in these youths every day live and in their identity development. Interviews with one female and six male teenagers age fifteen to seventeen were made, using a qualitative approach. The empirical data were analysed through previous research and by using several theoretical perspectives that were found to be relevant for this study’s purpose and questions. Results of the study show that friends and media have a significant meaning for youths’ introduction to online poker gambling. The adolescents’ gambling has been variable and can be seen as part of their identity development as they experiment with different roles and lifestyles. The study shows that it’s not just one quality of online poker that attracts young people, but a combination of various qualities that are closely intertwined and together contribute to the game experience the young seek. This study also shows that young people find strategies to manage risks tied to online poker gambling. In addition, the study shows that online poker as a typical male arena strengthens and verifies the male adolescent boys in this study in their identities as young men. Notions of gender in online poker gambling consequently contribute to that young people reproduce gender specific gambling patterns that exist in society.
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