Abstract
Among the criticisms of gambling and the casino industry is the claim that gambling is a waste of time, or worse a “directly unproductive profit-seeking” (DUP) activity. Clearly, gambling is a form of entertainment, like golf, tennis, snow skiing, or watching television and movies. Some gamblers may develop a gambling problem, and we should be concerned with that. But it is inappropriate to classify gambling by professionals, for example, as a wasteful activity.
The material in this chapter is based on Walker DM. 2001. Is professional gambling a directly unproductive profit-seeking (DUP) activity? International Gambling Studies 1: 177–183. Used with permission from Taylor & Francis.
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- 1.
Marfels (1998, 416) provides a valid but brief attack on Grinols and Omorov’s interpretation of DUP activities.
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GDP refers to the value of goods and services produced in the economy.
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I thank Russell Sobel for these examples.
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Consider, as another example, an entrepreneur who starts his own business. If the business fails, of course, the investor is not likely to “enjoy” the experience. Is failed entrepreneurship therefore a DUP activity?
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Tullock (1981, 391, note 2) explains, “Bhagwati is attempting to get the term ‘rent-seeking’ shifted to ‘directly unproductive profit seeking, DUP (pronounced dupe)’. I do not like rent-seeking as a term and would agree that this revision of the language would be an improvement, but I suspect that it is too late to make the change now.”
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An exception to this would be playing poker at a casino, where players compete against each other rather than against the casino. In some games (e.g., blackjack) one player’s actions can affect other players’ performance. A final exception might be a case in which the casino is filled to capacity so that a given player is unable to place bets.
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Walker, D.M. (2013). Is Gambling an “Unproductive” Activity?. In: Casinonomics. Management for Professionals. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7123-3_15
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