Glücksspiel und Zivilisierungsmission: Globalgeschichtliche Perspektiven auf das 19. Jahrhundert.

In the nineteenth century, the crusade against gambling became a global trend. It was deeply embedded in the civilizing mission of Western nations, which sought to uplift both their own lower classes and other “uncivilized” parts of the world. The anti-gambling movement was rooted in ideas like the bourgeois work ethic and its norms of discipline, temperance and merit. Most European countries reacted to the anti-gambling pressure by prohibiting or severely restricting lotteries, casinos and betting. In India, the British provoked a long-lasting controversy by taking action against indigenous gambling practices. In Siam, the political elite made the prohibition of gambling a part of its own civilizing mission in order to prevent colonial rule and because it considered gambling to be a major obstacle to the modernization of Siamese society and economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]