Integrity Matters: Denormalising Gambling in Belgian and Dutch Sports Clubs

Abstract

Sports betting has become more prevalent, visible and socially accepted in Western liberal societies than ever before. This normalisation of gambling on sports has been fuelled by deregulation, the omnipresence of advertising and the growing dependency of elite sports on sponsorship revenue streams from the gambling industry. That said, much remains to be uncovered about the mechanisms through which this normalisation of gambling occurs in sports. This chapter focuses on the role of sports clubs in Belgium and the Netherlands, drawing on empirical insights from two related studies that examine the oft-neglected salience of integrity as a key factor shaping gambling-related policy and practice at the organisational level. This sets the stage for a critical research agenda that can support the denormalisation of gambling, and the deconstruction of dominant discourses that frame sports betting as a fun, risk-free social practice.

Citation

Constandt, B. (2023), "Integrity Matters: Denormalising Gambling in Belgian and Dutch Sports Clubs", McGee, D. and Bunn, C. (Ed.) Gambling and Sports in a Global Age (Research in the Sociology of Sport, Vol. 18), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 75-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1476-285420230000018006