Emerging markets & culture
are clearer. The Quran contains specific injunctions which make gambling Haram, or forbidden, the strong implication being that such practices were commonplace at the time. The Bible may be less clear cut, but its tendency to denounce get- rich-quick schemes suggests that there must have been some around for its authors to frown upon. Jumping forward to today, fans of cricket (of which more later) who tend to look down on the proliferation of betting in soccer forget that the codification of their own sport (and numerous others) only came about as a way to settle wagering disputes in the latter part of the 19th Century. There are numerous other examples of culture, law and practice not necessarily following a logically consistent path. There are many countries, for example, where gambling is illegal but which encourage citizens to play a state-run lottery. And that is before we consider China’s schizophrenic approach which outlaws an activity played avidly by millions of its people. Then there are cases of what we might call cultural embarrassment where authorities cannot be seen to be regulating gambling as that would first require them to accept that it exists and is worth bothering with. It is tempting to say that the global market means cultural and territorial boundaries are becoming irrelevant. In the internet era where access to international communications is, for most, just a few clicks away it may seem an indulgence. However, the internet’s ability to gather likeminded groups together has arguably made sub-culture more important and a resurgence of nationalism encouraged by populist leaders suggests that the role of culture, both positive and negative, will be with us for a while yet. CULTURALLY CONSTRAINED Israel has already been referenced as an example of a jurisdiction which outlaws gambling despite the large number of international online gaming companies that have strong links to the country. Judaism does not explicitly forbid gambling but expressions in the Talmud or Jewish law preventing people who play with dice from acting as witnesses suggest it is discouraged. Layered on top of the religious aspect are a set of left-leaning social views best expressed in the Kibutz movement. Under this way of thinking personal gain is subjected to the good of the collective and this has been used as the cultural basis for a ban on commercial gambling operations. Israelis do have the option of the state-run lottery and state-run sportsbook, suggesting the prohibition is not ideological, but there is strong political opposition to liberalization which sees religious and socialist forces form an unholy alliance to preserve the status quo.
This contrasts strongly with the views of the wider public who broadly accept that gambling is a legitimate activity and feel that the taboo is out of date. Fifty percent of Israelis have been inside a casino and 70 percent of those have visited more than once. Continuing with prohibition ignores the fact that black market is booming. It is offered and promoted widely and Israelis have flocked online to play with operators who are not obliged to offer any kind of player protection. Continuing to hide behind cultural views that are widely ignored leaves the country in the worst possible position. Its players are unprotected, the state is missing substantial sums in taxation and one of the country’s successful industries is ignored. In the longer term, it feels unsustainable. CULTURAL COEXISTENCE There is no single culture in India: the country is a diverse mass of traditional and modern, rural and urban, religious and secular but each extreme is tempered by a populous which is heavily skewed towards youth. Cricket is the country’s majority religion. It is followed with as much zeal as any other and its deities are seen weekly on half a billion TV screens. The passion for cricket is one reason this huge market is so enticing for the sports betting industry,
IMGL Magazine • November 2022 • 21
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