Bingo research offers an innovative insight into gambling and its players. It reveals the social construction of ideas about skill in gambling as well as pertinent issues such as class, gender and harm.
Dixey and Talbot found that women turned to bingo to overcome barriers to leisure and accumulate lump sum cash, providing insight into wider studies on gambling, poverty and reductionist approaches to chance. Their work provided important contributions towards wider discussions of these subjects.
1. Progression
Progression refers to any series that advances logically and predictably over time. It can be applied to mathematical, musical or astrological processes; for instance, progress from learner’s permit to driver’s license can be seen as natural step that doesn’t constitute gambling.
Researchers have revealed the numerous ways bingo can motivate players. One such way is promoting physical activity among older adults who typically do not find exercise enjoyable or enjoyable; by adding social aspects like bingo to their physical activity experience, motivation increases significantly to take part.
Bingo literature provides invaluable insights into an enduring form of gambling. It highlights methodologies appropriate to its study, expands our knowledge about groups that have been overlooked in gambling studies, corrects biases associated with such studies, and sheds new light on issues like regulation, commercialisation, tradition and mutual aid; helping us better comprehend how money affects gambling as a social practice and society more generally.
2. Achievement
Achievements that matter most to individuals help create an overall sense of self-worth and provide tangible evidence that others use as the basis for judging their success. Achievements also act as powerful motivators; different factors affect this motivation to achieve.
Dixey and Talbot (1989) conducted the first English survey of bingo players. Their findings demonstrated its popularity and widespread appeal, particularly as an activity to overcome barriers to leisure for women at that time; further reinforcing gendered stereotypes about gambling while highlighting classed and racialized ideas of skill through gambling.
To investigate the influence of different variables on vocabulary achievement, participants were each given one bingo game: two unscored practice rounds and six scored ones. A computer monitor displayed an array of cards with an open space at the top that were randomly distributed; when players touched the right card they won a prize!
3. Recognition
Recognition theories have received significant academic and public scrutiny as an explanation for various social movements. According to these theories, people experience outrage when misrecognized: when depictions or social norms and values violate successful relationships between themselves and themselves then individuals feel especially motivated to fight for more appropriate recognition.
Recognition is an integral element of human needs for respect, esteem and love, which has been theorized as four dimensions (Honneth 1992 ch 2). Informal recognition may be particularly significant since it does not always include financial rewards and typically does not require formalized processes – friends and family often provide this form of support through informal recognition while supportive communities often allow those with limited mobility to continue participating in activities they would otherwise find impossible to participate in.
4. Motivation
Motivation is a useful concept in understanding behavior, including gambling. Motivated behaviors occur when they lead to the achievement of an identifiable goal and its pursuit is rewarding; various theories of motivation exist but most focus on two primary components: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation relies on feelings of competence, autonomy and relatedness while extrinsic motivation focuses on perceived value of tasks as well as their social implications; both types may exist simultaneously within an individual.
Research into bingo is extremely illuminating, providing new perspectives on gambling while highlighting overlooked groups of gamblers, correcting biases in gambling literature and providing new understanding. Bingo has proven itself as a source of social capital as well as offering an avenue for exploration into issues of community, commerce and control; making its contribution worthy of continued consideration.
