Typology of Gambling and its Social Harms in Tehran (Case study: Harandi Neighborhood)

Gambling is one of the activities that has long been a means of human entertainment and has more or less appeared in all cultures. In general, gambling theories can be divided into two categories. One theory tries to understand the gambling process and the other is to see gambling as a social harm and tries to identify issues related to it. This article analyzes the issue of gambling and its related social harms. The method research is qualitative (ethnography) and data were collected by interview technique. The participants included all gamblers in Harandi neighborhood in Tehran 12th district. The sample size was 30 people. Findings show that in terms of typology, gambling in Harandi neighborhood can be divided into two categories: street gambling and organized gambling. In addition, according to research findings, gambling is associated with issues such as addiction, drug trafficking, violence, family breakdown, job loss, theft, social exclusion and homelessness. Therefore, gambling should not be considered as a single social harm, but should be considered a social issue, the consequences of which are not only at the individual and family level, but also at the local social level.