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A review of specific books
As described above, gambling books come in a
variety of forms. Many gamblers read materials
on gambling, and a lot of information on
gambling is available. Some of the materials are
general books, which discuss several games;
others focus on a single game. We selected a
number of these books and read, viewed or used
them. Most of the material was in the form of a
book, but one video, one software program, one
magazine and four Web sites were also reviewed.
The quality of these materials was examined in
terms of the accuracy of their information. We
first list the types of information and then
examine each book to highlight its strengths and
weaknesses.
Sample and source
A purposive sample of the 18 books and other
materials and four Web sites was drawn. The
authors collected books that would cover the
full range of quality of the materials, from
poor to excellent. Thus, the sample is a
representation of the range of material
available rather than a randomly drawn
representation of the average book available.
The books were obtained from several sources,
including large chain bookstores, small private
bookstores, a discount book clearance centre,
used bookstores, libraries and Web sites. The
broadest collection of books was found on Web
sites and in large bookstore chains. One store
had three shelves devoted to gambling books.
However, this also varied. In another chain
store, only three books were found that were
specifically on gambling. Smaller stores and
used bookstores had fewer titles available, but
those tended to be of a somewhat higher quality.
Clearance houses had a mixture of titles,
including some of the poorest materials. The
libraries had a limited selection of materials,
and while most were of relatively high quality,
some were quite old.
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