No Dice: Gambling and Risk in Modern Culture

404 Inklings #12

by Nathan Charles

Risk is embedded in almost every corner of the popular culture we consume; its hidden exposure is a new version of disaster capitalism. No Dice explores the messy world of gambling, addiction and risk that we encounter daily, from childhood through adulthood, to ask - is it worth the risk? And more so, do we even know what risks we're taking?

Genres: Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2022

Reviews

[Sabine]

interesting but lingers a little too long on certain topics while also staying a bit too surface level for others, but a good introduction into the concept of 'soft gambling'

[Theo Moore]

Super accessible introduction to the notion of soft gambling and it’s integration in multiple aspects of contemporary, British culture. Highly recommended!

[Rhian]

3.5 stars

Really, really interesting. I enjoyed learning more about the concept of soft gambling and how gambling can become normalised in ways that aren’t always immediately obvious.

My main wish is that this had been longer, because I wanted it to go much deeper into the effects and consequences of gambling. There’s so much complexity here that I think a little more space could have allowed for a more in depth exploration, particularly around supporting people who are struggling with gambling.

[rosie]

This isn’t the kind of book I would usually pick up, if I’m going for non fiction, I tend to veer towards a biography from a celeb or a book about a certain theme I’m more interested in, but I’m really glad I picked this up. Nathan draws you in and covers a multitude of different types of gambling, some I wouldn’t have considered gambling before reading. Very interesting!

[Dannie Lynn Fountain]

3.75 rounded up
I’m really enjoying this Inklings series - this book was fascinating. I don’t think I’d ever considered the countless forms of “soft gambling” that exist in our lives. Definitely gave me a lot to think about.

[Andreas]

(2.5) This one was honestly one of the more disappointing inklings books - gambling & soft gambling are interesting topics but I felt that it didn’t really tell me much new.

[Heather]

3.5 stars