When the Casinos Came
Black Women's Stories about Gambling, Addiction, Recovery
Casino expansion’s effects on Black women
Cloth – $110
979-8-240-40055-1
Paper – $24.95
979-8-240-40056-8
eBook – $24.95
979-8-240-40057-5
Publication Date
Paperback: 05/18/2027
About the Book
A compelling blend of personal histories and cultural critique, When the Casinos Came reveals the high costs America’s casino industry has on Black women. Through her own recovery story and those of other Black women, Adell describes how Black women become addicted to gambling at alarming rates even as casinos continue to be built in cities across the country. She also details the depression and mental health challenges Black women face, often alone, as they try to overcome their addiction. As Adell shows, gambling addiction among Black women remains an overlooked problem exacerbated by a lack of access to culturally responsive treatment. But she tells stories of recovery, resilience, hope, and support while calling for greater investments in gambling addiction treatment and prevention programs and stronger support systems for Black women within the recovery community.About the Author
Sandra Adell is an emerita professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.Reviews
“This is a powerful collection of firsthand accounts on the destructive impact of gambling addiction on the lives increasing numbers of African American women today. It also suggests that the earlier ubiquitous ‘numbers game’ may have represented both addictive and creative responses to the dearth of entrepreneurial opportunities for Black people in Jim Crow America.”—Joe William Trotter, Jr., author of Building the Black City: The Transformation of American Life
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