Perceptions of the Causes of Gambling Fever in Taiwan: An Analysis of Six Discussion Groups

• Main Author: Li, San-Yi
• Format: Others
• Published: TopSCHOLAR® 1991
• Subjects: Social and Behavioral Sciences; Sociology
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2542; https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3538&context=theses

In this study the causes of gambling fever in Taiwan were explored through an assessment of the perceptions of the members of six Taiwanese discussion groups. Each group consisted of six to eight concerned citizens who had a diiscussion meeting once a month for six consecutive months beginning in September 1988. During these discussions the members of the groups were allowed to discuss freely any issues of interest related to gambling in Taiwan. This study analyzed only the reasons for gambling. Three sociological perspectives were applied in this study for an explanation for gambling fever in Taiwan: (a) strain theory, (b) differential association theory, and (c) control theory. This study categorized ten individual reasons for gambling and twenty-five societal reasons for gambling from the thirty-two discussion meeting records. The category of "Desire for Wealth" is the most often mentioned in the individual reasons for gambling. The major societal reason for gambling is "Reduced Moral Pressure Against Gambling." The other relatively powerful societal reasons are "Lack of Recreational Activities," "Gambling as Element of Culture," "Peer Pressure to Gamble," "Speed of Social Change," "Lack of Government Prohibition," "Inadequate Education for Leisure Activities," "Increase in Social Freedom," "Inadequate Education in Finances," and "Social Nature of a Group Activity."