Gambling involves betting on an event, like a football match or scratchcard game. You choose an event and then place a bet against the odds – for example, 5/1 or 2/1 – which determine how much you could win if your bet wins.
Many people enjoy gambling as a form of entertainment or to make money. However, for some, the activity can become a serious problem. Problem gambling is characterized by a recurrent pattern of gambling that causes distress or impairment. This condition is a mental illness and, like other addictive disorders, can affect anyone regardless of age, income, race or gender.
Problem gamblers often experience a variety of negative consequences, including increased debt and loss of control over finances. These effects can have a profound impact on families, friends and coworkers, as well as the community as a whole. A large percentage of gambling-related problems are rooted in poor family financial management, the use of credit cards or other debt instruments, and other unhealthy spending habits.
While the majority of people who gamble do so responsibly, a small percentage develop gambling disorder, which is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a persistent and recurrent pattern of behavior that is associated with significant distress or impairment. Gambling disorder is a treatable condition, and those suffering from it can recover if they are properly treated.
There are both positive and negative impacts from gambling, and these can vary by the type of gambling and the person’s underlying mental health issues. It’s important to understand these different impacts in order to recognize them and take action to reduce them.
Generally, there are four main reasons why people gamble: for social reasons – such as to spend time with friends, for fun, or for the rush of winning; for coping reasons – to relieve unpleasant emotions or stress, or to distract themselves from boredom; and for financial reasons – to try to earn money.
In studies of the economic costs and benefits of gambling, it’s common to focus only on problematic gambling – that is, gambling resulting in harms to individuals. However, this can lead to a biased view of the overall impact of gambling on society. Using a public health approach, it’s important to consider the entire spectrum of impacts – both positive and negative – from all types of gambling.
When calculating the social costs and benefits of gambling, it’s important to use complementary methodologies. This can include monetary values based on health-related quality of life weights, as used in alcohol and drug research; or a societal cost-benefit model, which aggregates costs and benefits at the personal, interpersonal and community/society levels. These different approaches can provide a more complete picture of the true impacts of gambling on society. For example, it’s important to note that gambling can also create benefits for the society by occupying idle people who would otherwise engage in criminal activities such as burglary or robbery.