This volume contains an Open Access chapter. Recent decades have seen an unprecedented expansion and diversification of sports gambling markets. Enabled by widespread access to the internet, advances in smartphone technology and the liberalisation of gambling advertising, gambling companies have strategically invested in the alignment of this practise with culturally embedded sporting activities, leading some to characterise these developments as the ‘gamblification’ of sports. Bringing together leading scholars from across the world, Gambling and Sports in a Global Age provides a landmark sociological collection on sports gambling from global perspectives. Anchored in a historical sociological context, chapters trace the global transformation of sports gambling amid wider processes of techno-capitalist expansion and the commercialisation of sport before exploring the differential factors that shape the relationship between sport and gambling in unique societal contexts. Contributors examine emerging issues in sports gambling, including the ethics of gambling sponsorship in sport, athlete rights, the risk of harms to youth and the future of sports fandom. Gambling and Sports in a Global Age demonstrates the importance of sociology in understanding sports gambling in a global age, establishing a much-needed scholarly platform with which to generate theoretically informed interventions in research and policymaking. Through an integrated global approach, the contributors shed critical light on centrally relevant sociological themes, providing convenient access to a diverse array of contextual insights and generating new questions for an emerging generation of sociologists.

The Shadows are Searching... The assassin Ronan hunts through the city of Hearne, desperate to find the young thief Jute. But there are greater powers at work, and both Ronan and Jute are unwitting pawns in an ancient struggle of deadly importance. Captured and imprisoned in the catacombs beneath the city of Hearne, Jute frantically attempts to break out of his dungeon before it's too late. On the run, tracked by shadows and shadowhounds, Jute and his friends flee the city for the wilderness of the north. All the while, the wind is coming alive inside of him. But, before Jute can figure out how to unleash its power, he needs to learn how to fly. Even more important, he must learn who his enemy is and what it is plotting in the darkness. The epic fantasy saga that began with "The Hawk and His Boy," and continued with "The Shadow at the Gate," concludes with "The Wicked Day."

The Darkness Awakes... Tracking the kidnappers of Giverny Farrow, Jute and his friends discover the Dark is on the march. A long-forgotten enemy has emerged from the pages of history. The land of Tormay must be warned in time before it is too late. In the city of Hearne, Owain Gawinn desperately tries to ready his forces for the coming battle. Little does he know that treachery is stirring within the gates. Tormay teeters on the brink of war, and the duchies look to Jute as their last hope. But there is an ancient evil waking that even all the power of the wind cannot hope to defeat. With the hawk, the cantankerous ghost and the assassin Ronan at his side, can Jute save Tormay? On one final, stormy day, the fate of the land will depend on his choice...

In the land of Tormay, a young thief named Jute robs the house of a wizard one night. Soon, he finds himself running for his life as he seeks to understand what he stole and why so many people suddenly want him dead. Ancient secrets and curses come alive around Jute as he journeys to freedom in the north, accompanied by a talking hawk, a guilt-ridden assassin, and a forgetful ghost. But, as they seek to save themselves, the little company realizes that much more is at stake than their own lives. A storm has come to Tormay, and, in the shadows of the night, the Dark walks. It will do anything to destroy the land. It cares nothing for the armies and might of men. Only one thing stands between the Dark and its wicked dreams: a thief named Jute.

Normal guy Frank Potter is forced by his wife to join a local acting group. He enters a terrifying world of hefty thespians, impromptu drama, and crazy people. Mayhem and ambulances ensue. A large Russian woman also falls on top of someone from a great height. In another even more harrowing tale, Frank wants a quiet Thanksgiving, but his dreaded sister-in-law and her French film director husband visit from Beverly Hills. Hilarity occurs, followed by shocking violence, gophers and narrow escapes. In yet another startling story, Frank decides to build a swimming pool in his backyard. Mayhem ensues, followed by more mayhem and Apache Indians. Some people (who remain anonymous) claim this book is similar to Gone With the Wind, but without the South, Scarlet O'Hara, mint juleps, or anything else that happened in that book. Others say they just want a nice ham and cheese sandwich. And others, of course, will arrive for dinner on Tuesday. Lovers and Lunatics will have an enormous impact on your life, causing you to either give up your career of violent crime or to move to Peru, where you will encounter a mysterious clown named Manolo. Luscious, billowy, and bittersweetly hot, this book is destined to speak to you in deep, sonorous ways, sort of like how a blue whale would speak to you if it could speak English and could dial a cellphone, way down under the ocean, without electrocuting itself due to how water and batteries interact. This is assuming, of course, that the blue whale wants to speak with you. And he does.

The Beginning of an Epic Adventure Jute can break into any house, climb any wall, and steal anything--and he just got hired for what he thinks is an easy burglary job. The only problem is, if he succeeds, the Thieves Guild is going to murder him. He just doesn't know that. Not yet. Being a thief always came easy for him, but it's a lot harder now, particularly when everyone wants him dead. Hiding out in the city of Hearne, Jute finds some strange allies in an old wizard and a talking hawk. Together, they uncover an ancient secret of terrifying power. All Jute needs to do is stay alive long enough to figure out why's there's a price on his head, why a deadly shadow is stalking him, and why the Dark is haunting his dreams. Also, why on earth is the wind talking to him? "The Hawk And His Boy" is the first book of The Tormay Trilogy. The trilogy continues with "The Shadow At The Gate," and concludes with "The Wicked Day."