Luxury casino halls and underground subcultures may seem to be two absolutely different worlds. Although, there are some things that may actually bring them together. Let’s discover in which ways punks and other unconventional communities are related to gambling.
Subcultures and gambling
Subcultures are interesting in their opposition to traditional lifestyle patterns. They usually protest against any norms and set their own principles. There are dozens of subcultures, including music-focused, Internet-based, sexual, or fashion-related ones. They define the look of the modern world because they refresh the community with brand new ideas. They will always exist, maintaining the balance between the majority and unusual groups with their own unconventional principles. Whether it’s punks, hippies, or indie – every subculture has their own beliefs, symbols, music, and so on.
Different segments of entertainment have always had specific products or solutions inspired by notable figures and subcultures. Several branches of a punk culture are firmly established in the gaming industry: there are lots of cyberpunk games, large land-based casinos build steampunk-themed attractions, gambling events may include concerts of famous punk musicians. You can even find some examples of punk bands who entertained blackjack high rollers on PunksNotDeadTheMovie.com. It is great that casinos try to fulfill the most diverse desires of their customers, inviting different people for making unforgettable shows. The range of options how an alternative culture is integrated into entertainment could be endless.
Basics of gambling
The gambling industry was established in old gambling halls of Vegas, but it emerged even earlier, in pubs with the first slot machines on the US West. Modern gambling refers to both land-based casinos and online platforms, with the latter growing in popularity more and more. There are a lot of different games of chance with slots, poker, online blackjack, and roulette being in the highest demand. All of them, as well as more exotic titles like baccarat or pai gow, are available offline and online in numerous variations.
Apart from super-luxurious facilities with a dress code, casinos don’t have harsh entry requirements in terms of appearance, so punks, goths, or metalheads that wear revealing clothes and have specific hairstyles can enjoy gambling along with other visitors. There’s an interesting story of a punk girl who shares her experience of being a poker lover and discovering Monte Carlo. She has been keen on gambling since childhood and then has started her career as a blogger by highlighting poker events and describing casinos’ features for a huge platform of PokerStars. Representatives of any ideology can join the community as a fan or an expert – and gamblers may also be seen as a subculture, as it’s a large number of people united by similar purposes who have their own rules and jargon.
Punks as cultural influencers
Punks represent one of the most famous subcultures and have been existing for decades. Their ideology is basically centered on personal freedom, anti-governmental moves, and loud aggressive music. In the 1970s, the trending sound and clothes were called punk which laid the foundation of a separate culture. Later, punks were considered as an underground community which could barely adapt to the regular world. Nowadays, there are a lot of types of them, each having their own ideology, from the ultra-left and anarchist to liberal and conservative. What is common for every type is recognizable cultural preferences and attributes of clothes and appearance.
While it is usually thought that luxury is an opposition to punks, their style has actually played a great role in establishing fashion trends. Many designers of both streetwear and haute couture use punk’s nihilistic ingenuity as a source of inspiration. The same could be applied to gaming – as we’ve already mentioned, a lot of originally punk ideas were borrowed by developers and implemented into trending products.
The time of cultural blends
The 1970s were not only the years of a punk ideology and style but it was also a period where a lot of alternative cultures were on a rise. Moreover, particular subcultures were formed strongly connected to various entertainments. It could be even a very insignificant connection, for instance, the name of a night club, the Wigan Casino, that was a meeting place for the Northern Soul subculture. But if we dig deeper, we’ll see that this community was formed namely of sports fans who would rather spend time before the match in vinyl shops and not in pubs. It’s a common scheme of reckless and hazardous activities – like sports and gambling that go hand in hand to each other – being strongly connected to music. As we can see from above-mentioned examples, punk music perfectly fits such a niche.
To sum up
Different subcultures have always served as an inspiration for the entertainment industry. Fashion, cinema, or various games from casino slots to strategies – all these fields have a segment of unique products dedicated to styles of punks, goths, hippies, or sports fans communities. For the part of subcultures’ representatives themselves, they like to have fun no different from any other group of people. Punks and other minor groups have their gambling enthusiasts, while some of them can also visit casinos not as regular customers but as guest music stars.
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