Emerging markets & culture
Culture clash: entry to new markets about more than just adherence to the law An understanding of local cultures will be vital for commercial gambling to reach countries with non-Western traditions. Diane Mullenex, Antony Gevisser, Ranjana Adhikari and Liran Barak
C ulture is a multifunctional term when it applies to gambling. It can refer to religious traditions which justify a blanket ban on all forms of gambling such as in places like Israel, other parts of the Middle East and Asia. How far the restriction is supported by the population to which it applies, however, is a very different question. The outlawing of all forms of gambling in Israel with its largely secular population and extensive commercial links to gaming is particularly ironic. Cultural differences are cited in Europe as one reason for the complex patchwork of national regulations rather than a harmonized approach to consumer protection. Again, whether there are truly such deeply held cultural beliefs and traditions is questionable. But, if culture is misused as a way to avoid confronting tougher questions, it can also be a genuine factor behind the prevalence of different forms or modalities of gambling in countries and regions around the world.
Many of the common modern perceptions about the cultural aspects of gambling turn out to be incorrect. Most people seeing the explosion of advertising and sponsorship by sports betting and casino operators will conclude that the industry is a new one. This is demonstrably not the case. While the internet and mobile technology have changed the way bets are placed, the culture of rewards based on chance is as old as human nature itself. Historic research has uncovered evidence of gambling in the palaeolithic age, with dice being found in Mesopotamia dating back to as early as 3000BCE. India is a country thought by some to view gambling as culturally inappropriate but gambling is embedded within the epic tales on which some of its religions are based. In the Mahābhārata, which dates back to around the 3rd Century BCE, opponents were tested not only by war but also with dice games. In countries where there is a strong link between religion and the law, the lines
20 • IMGL Magazine • November 2022
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