Chapter Il gioco d’azzardo in una prospettiva di interesse pubblico

Abstract

Combining theoretical reflections and data from the international and national literature, the paper frames the issue of gambling from a public interest perspective, attentive to social inequalities and how contextual factors and supply and demand conditions impact people's behaviour and the prevalence of problem gambling. It then analyses the representations and narratives prevalent in the social debate, particularly the justifications used by the legislature in the liberalization process, and discusses them in light of scientific evidence, highlighting their limitations and arguing for the need to reframe the issue of gambling as an outcome of political rather than individual choices and responsibilities.