Les controverses sur le jeu dans la societe britannique : le cas des paris sportifs (1890-1961)
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Abstract EN:
Betting on horses became a mass activity in the 1880s. As ready-money betting had been prohibited since 1853, most punters had to resort to illegal practices. A national anti- gambling league, strongly influenced by the "nonconformist conscience", was set up in 1890 to fight mis "evil". The return to office of a liberal government facilitated a tightening of prohibition in 1906. This measure failed to eradicate street-betting, which was condoned and even actively supported by wide sections of the public. Subsequent campaigns focused on football betting and greyhound racing. However, they could not stop the development of football pools and greyhound tracks in me 1930s. In spite of its failure, the prohibition of street betting remained on the statute-book for more than half a century. Until i960, the leisure activities of millions of british people remained outside the law. This study examines the protracted survival of an unenforceable piece of legislation. One factor may have been the puritanical background of some (mainly) liberal and labour leaders, which led them to uphold what was increasingly regarded as a class- discriminatory text. Secondly, the reluctant recognition of the legality of football pools in the 1930s eased tensions which might have been exacerbated by an overall prohibition. Lastly, the ambivalent attitude of the police amounted to a de facto regulation. Both bookmakers and anti- gambling campaigners had a vested interest in maintaining this status quo, albeit for conflicting reasons. This work also attempts to identify the various links between the anti-gambling campaign and other "moral crusades". Placed in this perspective, the 1960 betting and gaming act can be regarded as a harbinger of the so-called "permissive society", although the extent of its permissivity may be questioned. The second volume consists of a collection of relevant statutes.
Abstract FR:
Dans les annees 1880, les pans urbains sur les courses hippiques deviennent une pratique de masse. Or, la prohibition des paris au comptant contraint la plupart des usagers a l'illegalite. Une ligue nationale contre le jeu, fortement marquee par la + conscience nonconformiste ;, est creee en 1890 afin de lutter contre ce +fleau;. Le retour au gouvernement du parti liberal facilite le renforcement de la prohibition en 1906. Cette mesure s'avere inefficace devant des pratiques clandestines qui beneficient du large soutien de la population. Les campagnes ulterieures contre les paris sportifs prennent pour cibles le football et les courses de levriers. Elles ne parviendront pas a empecher l'essor des football pools et des cynodromes. L'echec de la prohibition n'empeche pas celle-ci de se maintenir pendant plus d'un demi-siecle. Il faudra attendre 1960 pour que les loisirs de millions de britanniques ne tombent plus sous le coup de la loi. La presente etude tente de faire apparaitre les raisons de ces atermoiements. Au plan politique, bien qu'elle ait ete denoncee comme une discrimination de classe, la prohibition trouva longtemps ses meilleurs soutiens dans les partis de gauche, dont les dirigeants cultivaient un certain rigorisme. D'autre part, la tolerance envers tes football pools a attenue les tensions qu'aurait pu engendrer une prohibition generalisee. Enfin, l'attitude ambigue des forces de l'ordre equivalait a une reglementation de facto ou toutes les parties trouvaient leur compte, souvent pour des raisons opposees. Ce travail vise egalement a montrer les liens qui unissaient la campagne contre les paris a d'autres + croisades morales ;. A cet egard, la loi de 1960 peut etre consideree comme l'une des premieres etapes vers une societe dite permissive. Bile en annonce toutefois les limites. Le second volume est un recueil de textes de lois.