Sharps, Squares, and Scalpers: Gambling in the Urban Underground

Author

AnneMarie Cesario, Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

6-2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Sociology

Advisor

William Kornblum

Subject Categories

Criminology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Sociology

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the role of bookmakers in urban communities. Although bookmaking dates to 1780 in London, there has been little academic research on the bookmaker, or "bookie," and his role in neighborhood life. Drawing on five years of ethnographic research across three U.S. cities, I sought to answer two questions: 1. What is the relationship between the bookie and the neighborhood he serves, and how is his deviant identity managed in the larger community; and 2. How is trust established and maintained among actors in illegal gambling transactions? Once established, does this strengthen social networks and enhance the cohesiveness of the neighborhood?

Through a series of qualitative case studies, this research shows how: masculinity is revered and displayed through the sports betting process; race, ethnicity, and residency dictate levels of trust among bettors and bookies; the bookie negotiates his deviant identity in both interpersonal and societal relationships; and the presence of bookmakers is ubiquitous across the United States, despite the advent of quick access and one-click internet forms of gambling. As well, quantitative and mapping analyses are undertaken to further explore gambling differentiation by type.

I examine how bookmakers persist, who their clients are, how trust is formed among them, and what, if any, role race and sex play in creating bonds of trust. Five community areas in Chicago were chosen as ethnographic locations, as were three in New York and three in Los Angeles. My research shows that, despite being an illegal enterprise in the United States (with the exception of Nevada and Delaware), bookmakers exist in almost every city across the country and cater to a diverse range of clients. Moreover, the research explores how bookies manage to persist despite major demographic changes and community gentrification. This dissertation fills a void in sociological literature by examining the role of the bookmaker in urban neighborhoods in the twenty first century. This exploration of bookies can contribute not only to our overall knowledge of deviance, but also to the theorizing of identity and trust, race, network analysis, and governance of urban space.

Recommended Citation

Cesario, AnneMarie, "Sharps, Squares, and Scalpers: Gambling in the Urban Underground" (2014). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/186