As a consequence of the rapid proliferation of commercial gambling in Westernstyle democracies governments and communities are encountering a complex arrayof ec... » 

As a consequence of the rapid proliferation of commercial gambling in Westernstyle democracies governments and communities are encountering a complex arrayof economic social and cultural harms associated with this expansion. Thisbook focuses specifically on harms to democratic systems. It examines howpeople with key roles in democratic structures are vulnerable to subtleinfluence from the burgeoning profits of gambling. It focuses particularly onthe Westernstyle democracies of North America Europe and Australasia. Itargues that governments have a duty of care to protect their own democraticprocesses from subtle degradations and that independence from the gamblingindustries needs to be proactively built into public sector structures andprocesses. It outlines how a public health approach harm minimisationstrategies and international conventions can provide the base for protectingthe integrity of democratic systems. «