Gambling involves risking something of value – usually money – on an event involving chance. You can bet on a football match, for example, or play a scratchcard. The outcome of the event will be decided by luck, and the amount you win depends on how much you bet. The odds – the chances of winning – are set by the betting company. The higher the odds, the more you can win.
In addition to the potential financial benefits, gambling can be enjoyable and a social activity that brings people together. It also helps to develop a range of skills, including pattern recognition and strategy development. However, there are also negative effects of gambling that should not be ignored.
Problem gamblers often conceal their addiction from friends and family. They lie about how much they spend, and may even steal from family members in order to finance their gambling habit. They often experience a variety of emotional problems such as feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety, and may have difficulty controlling their spending. They also experience a loss of self-esteem, as they become more focused on obtaining money to gamble with, rather than on their own health and well-being.
While most studies on the impacts of gambling focus on monetary aspects, personal, interpersonal and community/society levels have been largely overlooked in this area. For example, an individual who gambles heavily and subsequently experiences severe financial losses can negatively affect his/her significant others through the strain it places on their relationship. The impact on the community/society level can also be significant, especially when gamblers’ money is spent in the local economy.
Although research on the impacts of gambling is in its infancy, it is becoming increasingly apparent that these costs and benefits are complex. To assess the full range of impacts, it is necessary to take a public health approach. This will involve examining all aspects of the gambling process, both positive and negative.
The methodological challenges for this type of analysis include defining the nature of gambling impacts and measuring them accurately. The measurement of personal and interpersonal impacts has been particularly challenging, since they are often non-monetary in nature. For example, consumption benefits are often ignored by expected utility models of gambling because they do not appear in the financial equation.
While there are a variety of impacts that result from gambling, the most significant are those resulting from pathological gambling. These can include long-term consequences that alter the life course of an individual and even pass between generations. The impact of pathological gambling is likely to increase in importance as the demand for evaluation of patients’ gambling behaviors in primary care settings increases. It is therefore important that research in this field focuses on establishing the best methodological approaches for evaluating gambling behavior and its impact. In addition, it is essential that this work is conducted by multidisciplinary teams to ensure the most accurate results. Ultimately, this will help to develop the most effective interventions and policies for gambling behavior.
