Gambling: a qualitative study in Southern Italy

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA E RICERCA SOCIALE
Author/s Luca Benvenga
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2025/138
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 79-93 File size 196 KB
DOI 10.3280/SR2025-138004
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The article analyses pathological gambling (PG) in Basilicata, interpreting it as a social phenomenon rooted in specific territorial contexts. Through a qualita-tive study based on four focus groups conducted in different areas of the region, the article gathers the representations, experiences, and practices of professionals working in health, social, and third-sector services involved in addressing the phenomenon. The analysis highlights how PG develops at the intersection of so-cio-economic vulnerabilities, relational proximity, the widespread availability of gambling opportunities, and processes of cultural normalization of gambling, showing how these dynamics take on distinctive features in contexts where re-duced anonymity and the weight of stigma influence access to services and the demand for help.

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Luca Benvenga, Gambling: un’analisi qualitativa in una regione del Sud Italia in "SOCIOLOGIA E RICERCA SOCIALE " 138/2025, pp 79-93, DOI: 10.3280/SR2025-138004