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.

<p>This study explores the relatively new phenomenon of online poker. More specifically, it elaborates on who the online poker player is, why s/he plays online poker, what the fascination of the game is, why s/he continues to play, and what the experience is. The study is delimited to focus on individuals who mainly play Texas hold’em online. The empirical material is based on semi-structured interviews with active online poker players, as well as on secondary data such as articles and literature. Both professional and amateur players are included among the respondents. The material has been coded and qualitatively analyzed. Earlier studies in the same field have also been brought to light and discussed, among which we especially centered on Reith’s theories about gambling and the gambler. Finally, the study concludes that the four factors primarily motivating the online poker player are excitement, money, social interaction, and the aspect of skill.</p>

<p>Compulsive gambling has lately become a more common and serious issue in our society. The number of compulsive gamblers is constantly increasing alongside the growth of the gambling industry and the consequences of compulsive gambling include both economical and social disasters. Every addiction has a start, and so does compulsive gambling, which is why we chose to perform a survey in order to determine the possible causes to why individuals are drawn to gambling and what leads them into compulsive gambling, and also during which circumstances do they find the strength and will to come out of their addiction to gambling. The theories that are used in this paper include globalization, socialization, Bauman´s consumption society and empowerment, alongside the six phases of gambling by Custer and Milts, describing the way in and the way out of compulsive gambling. This survey is one of the qualitative kind, which means that the chosen theories are connected to the ten interviews that were done with gamblers of various kinds. The larger part of the interviews consist out of stories by compulsive gamblers and former compulsive gamblers, but the reader also gets to read the stories of those who gamble a whole lot, but still don´t consider themselves as compulsive gamblers and also from a treatment facility representative who has a lot of experience of treating compulsive gamblers.  This paper, in conclusion, shows that there are various reasons of why individuals become gamblers and compulsive gamblers. Some do it in order to escape their everyday problems; some do it to fit in with their friend circle while others do it for the sake of excitement or for the simple reason of making money. The publicity that surrounds gambling nowadays and the technology that increases the possibility of gambling, are also important factors that can awake the interest in gambling.  In order for the individual to get out of the compulsive gambling problem, more is needed then just the need to leave gambling behind. Support from one´s family and friends can be of help after the individual has fully decided to get out of his compulsive gambling issues. However, it is the individuals own free will and determination to leave the gambling behind, that is the key to a life free from compulsive gambling.</p>

Compulsive gambling has lately become a more common and serious issue in our society. The number of compulsive gamblers is constantly increasing alongside the growth of the gambling industry and the consequences of compulsive gambling include both economical and social disasters. Every addiction has a start, and so does compulsive gambling, which is why we chose to perform a survey in order to determine the possible causes to why individuals are drawn to gambling and what leads them into compulsive gambling, and also during which circumstances do they find the strength and will to come out of their addiction to gambling. The theories that are used in this paper include globalization, socialization, Bauman´s consumption society and empowerment, alongside the six phases of gambling by Custer and Milts, describing the way in and the way out of compulsive gambling. This survey is one of the qualitative kind, which means that the chosen theories are connected to the ten interviews that were done with gamblers of various kinds. The larger part of the interviews consist out of stories by compulsive gamblers and former compulsive gamblers, but the reader also gets to read the stories of those who gamble a whole lot, but still don´t consider themselves as compulsive gamblers and also from a treatment facility representative who has a lot of experience of treating compulsive gamblers.  This paper, in conclusion, shows that there are various reasons of why individuals become gamblers and compulsive gamblers. Some do it in order to escape their everyday problems; some do it to fit in with their friend circle while others do it for the sake of excitement or for the simple reason of making money. The publicity that surrounds gambling nowadays and the technology that increases the possibility of gambling, are also important factors that can awake the interest in gambling.  In order for the individual to get out of the compulsive gambling problem, more is needed then just the need to leave gambling behind. Support from one´s family and friends can be of help after the individual has fully decided to get out of his compulsive gambling issues. However, it is the individuals own free will and determination to leave the gambling behind, that is the key to a life free from compulsive gambling.

This study explores the relatively new phenomenon of online poker. More specifically, it elaborates on who the online poker player is, why s/he plays online poker, what the fascination of the game is, why s/he continues to play, and what the experience is. The study is delimited to focus on individuals who mainly play Texas hold’em online. The empirical material is based on semi-structured interviews with active online poker players, as well as on secondary data such as articles and literature. Both professional and amateur players are included among the respondents. The material has been coded and qualitatively analyzed. Earlier studies in the same field have also been brought to light and discussed, among which we especially centered on Reith’s theories about gambling and the gambler. Finally, the study concludes that the four factors primarily motivating the online poker player are excitement, money, social interaction, and the aspect of skill.

<p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p>

This study is set in the broad context of the changing world of work that is characterised by the dissolution of full-time stable employment and the emergence of precarious, insecure forms of work (see e.g. Gorz, 1999, Hardt and Negri, 2005, Huws, 2016, Lorey, 2015, Ross, 2003, Ross, 2009, Smith, 2001, Standing, 2011). As a response to these labour market uncertainties a growing number of individuals are managing multiple areas of the self as part of their work or occupation. This trend has been termed 'the new worker-subjectivity' or 'the entrepreneurial self' that is formed through practices of self-management (Bührmann, 2005, Lorey, 2009). Despite increasing awareness of the emergence of the entrepreneurial worker-subjectivity, research into practices of self-management has only focused on occupational groups in formal work. Knowledge about the trend in the context of virtual workers who operate outside of conventional working relations and have no publicly recognised work identity is largely missing. In order to address this gap, this study explores how entrepreneurial worker-subjectivities manifest in professional online poker players as an emerging online occupation. It investigates how these workers manage themselves in the absence of formal organisational control and socially recognised occupational norms, and asks what are the effects of this self-management on the quality of their working lives? The study is based on 39 in-depth interviews with people involved in online poker or other similar activities such as online gaming or trading. The interviews were conducted either face-to-face in Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania and UK or over Skype between December 2012 and May 2014. The study develops an analytical framework for researching entrepreneurial worker-subjectivities in the context of an emerging occupation and a three-stage-model of the trajectory that provides a basis for exploring the career paths of professional online poker players. Using these framework, the study finds that professional online poker players manage various areas of the self by following informal occupational rules and that their sense of professionalism is largely derived from various practices of self-management that help them distinguish from recreational players. The study also discovers conflicting relations of autonomy and control among the workers and a range of negative effects that self-management practices have on professional online poker players. It concludes that professional online poker is not a sustainable long-term career option. These findings contribute to a better understanding of virtual work, the emergence of online poker playing as a form of work and the development of the entrepreneurial worker-subjectivity.

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Title: Motivations of females to play poker online. (Business study of Swedish women) Authors: Anastasiya Bochkareva - 870208 Engelbrektsgatan 8A 72216 Västerås, Sweden aba07001@student.mdh.se Karina Petrova - 880613 Södergatan 22 19547 Märsta, Sweden kpa07001@student.mdh.se Supervisor: Mikael Holmgren Examiner: Ole Liljetors Key Words: Online gambling; Online poker; Swedish women; Motivation; Emotional motivations; Material motivations, Atmosphere; Accessibility; Hypotheses; Regression analysis Institution: Mälardalen University Sweden, School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, Box 883, 721 23 Västerås Course: Master Thesis in Business Administration, 15 ECTS-points, spring semester 2011 Problem: What motivates Swedish women to play poker online for money? Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the main motives behind Swedish females’ propensity to play poker online by means of hypotheses testing through regression analysis. Method: Method includes collection of the information on definitions, theories and modelsabout gambling, online gambling (precisely online poker) and motivations togamble. Five hypotheses have been constructed based on the collected informationand the survey have been created and conducted among 397 Swedish female onlinepoker players. Further, based on gathered data, hypotheses have been tested bymeans of simple linear and multiple regressions.. Results: Regression analysis revealed that emotional and material motivations together withaccessibility of the game and surrounding atmosphere play a significant role in thereason why Swedish females play online poker for money. It was also found thatemotional motivation was a fundamental factor that triggers Swedish women togamble. Furthermore, research revealed the hypothetical target segment of femaleSwedish online poker players. Average Swedish woman is between 30-40 years oldsingle woman without children, who live high speed, active life (either studying orworking) and who spends around 30.3 hours per months on playing online poker.

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