Bingo as Practice and Lens

Abstract Chapter 1 argues that gambling in general, and bingo in particular, provide a valuable entry point for conversations about political economy. Specifically, it shows how bingo offers a distinctive lens on existing debates about gambling and political economy, allowing new questions to be posed. To this end, the chapter engages directly with three reasons the author was given for why not to study bingo: (1) that its player demographics mean that the game is too niche and marginalized to offer generalizable lessons; (2) that it is not really gambling; and (3) that it is dead or dying. The chapter considers each in turn, contending that bingo matters in part because of its distinctive demographics, its self-effacing nature, its awkwardness of fit, and its decades-long decline. Rather than making the game irrelevant, these factors suggest that bingo—no less than casinos, or stock markets—can contribute to new ways of thinking about capitalism.