Gambling involves risking money or anything else of value in a game of chance, whether that’s on the lottery, in casinos, on scratchcards, or by betting with friends. It can be a fun way to spend time but it’s important to understand the risks and how to recognise when gambling is causing problems for yourself or someone you care about.
Problem gambling is a serious issue that can have devastating consequences for individuals and their families. It can affect people from all walks of life but it is more common among certain groups of people, such as adolescent gamblers, veterans, and aging adults. In addition, some people are at a higher risk of developing a gambling disorder because of their family history or personal mental health issues, such as depression.
The causes of a gambling disorder vary for each individual but they usually include a combination of factors. These can be psychological, social or financial. Problems with gambling can often start when a person feels overwhelmed or depressed and is looking for an outlet that will relieve these feelings. They may also be feeling frustrated or angry and are using gambling as a way to try and forget about these feelings.
In some cases, gambling can lead to a cycle of ‘highs and lows’ that can cause stress and anxiety. The highs can come from winning or getting a buzz from the excitement of gambling but they can also be followed by feelings of disappointment, despair and loss. This can make a person want to gamble again to try and get back that ‘high’. It’s important to recognise these warning signs and seek help if you think that you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction.
While many studies have been done on the positive economic effects of gambling, a significant amount of work is still needed to identify and quantify costs. Typically, gross impact studies focus on one aspect of gambling’s economic impacts and do not pretend to provide a balanced perspective.
More importantly, these studies rarely consider the costs of gambling beyond direct casino revenues and expenditures. Externality costs, such as criminal justice system and social service costs, are generally not included in the analysis.
In addition, few studies have used a public health approach to address negative impacts of gambling on gamblers or their loved ones. Ideally, future research on the economics of gambling should be grounded in a public health framework and should use health-related quality of life (HRQL) weights to estimate intangible and real impacts. This would enable gambling harms to be measured and compared to benefits in a manner similar to that which is applied to other economic activities. For example, studies using disability weights could be used to discover the intangible impacts of gambling on a gambler’s social network. This information could then be used to inform a benefit-cost analysis of gambling.