This thesis examines the legal history of regulating early gambling venues in Canada.
Two case studies illustrate the manner in which a 'spatially oriented' legal regime
emerged: early Chinese gambling dens in Victoria and Vancouver, and racetracks in
Ontario. The term 'spatially oriented' recognizes that gambling law, both past and
present, regulates gambling places rather than the activity of gaming itself. Moreover,
the application of the law was spatially inconsistent: early Chinese gambling dens
received a discriminate amount of police scrutiny while an express exemption in the
criminal law insulated racetrack betting from sanction. The theoretical perspectives of
moral regulation and critical legal geography are used to show that discourses of law,
liberalism, race and morality are inextricably linked to 'place.' In particular, the
relationship between law and place is highlighted to show how moral and ideological
geographies may be both reflected in law, and created by law. The implication for early
Canadian gambling venues was the development of a reputation of respectability for
particular forums, such as the racetrack, versus the association of criminal connotations
with unlicensed social gambling clubs, such as the Chinese gambling den.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/11033 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Bliss, James Robert Quartus |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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