Gambling as Work: A Study of German Poker Players

TL;DR

This study explores whether professional poker players in Germany can be considered an occupational group based on sociological criteria.

Contribution

The research bridges the gap between serious leisure studies and sociological theories of professionalization by analyzing poker players as a potential occupational group.

Findings

Professional and semiprofessional poker players meet criteria for occupational groups according to Salaman's theory.

Hobby and professional players maintain different social relationships, as shown by ego-centric network analysis.

The study highlights the need for more research on unconventional occupational groups.

Abstract

The study addresses the question whether professional gamblers can be considered an occupational group from a sociological perspective. It combines survey data on poker players from the German state North Rhine-Westphalia with sociological theory in order to explain the oxymoron of professional gambling. The descriptive analysis of the survey data is supplemented by ego-centric network data of the poker players to analyze whether hobby and professional players maintain different forms of social relationships. Even when semiprofessionals and professional players are grouped together for the purpose of comparative analysis, they fulfill the criteria of occupational groups according to Salaman’s major work on the topic. The study points to the fact that more research on occupational groups outside of the common fields is needed and bridges the gap between the literature on serious leisure and sociological research on professions and professionalization.