The global everyday : a case study of an on-line gaming company in Malta

Abstract

Since the mid nineteen nineties a new industry has developed that of on line gambling. Attracted by favourable conditions for the past few years there has been a growing number of gaming companies that have heen setting up office in Malta particularly on the eastern coast of Malta, in the Sliema, St.Julian's and Gzira area. These companies offer their services to a mainly European population and given their nature require a personalised customer support (refer to Chapter 2). Native speakers of a particular language are often preferred to provide customer support especially those that in addition are multilingual. The ability to speak English is a prerequisite. A considerable number of well-off foreigners has thus settled in this area. Here they live, work and in general spend most of their time. I attempt, in this work to provide a snapshot through which to ponder the complexities of globalisation 'from below', by which I mean the movement of people and their everyday negotiation of their reality. (This of course, needs to take account of at least, globalisation from above, the work of national and supranational governments, policy making and economic networks.)