Casino Paradise: The Turkish Cypriots and Gambling Addiction

Abstract

Cyprus, which is surrounded by Turkey in the north, Syria in the east, Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon in thesoutheast, and Egypt in the south, is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean. The island has beendivided into two separate states, i.e., the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Republic ofCyprus (Cyprus), since military action by Turkey in 1974. However, the TRNC is recognized by no countryother than Turkey and has been blockaded politically, socially, and economically. As a result, it has becomea casino paradise that harbors all kinds of illegal activities. In this study, semistructured interviews wereconducted with 20 gamblers and one casino manager living in Cyprus. The social life experienced in a situation of political isolation and the effect of this situation on an individual’s gambling habits were analyzed. Apositive relationship was identified between the political situation of Northern Cyprus since 1974 and Turkish Cypriots’ gambling addiction. The findings indicate that social, economic, and political arrangementsshould be made in accordance with the political situation of Northern Cyprus.