Whether it’s playing card games, betting on football games or purchasing scratchcards, gambling involves the use of money in exchange for a chance to win. It is a risky, high-stress activity that can be very addictive. Many individuals, especially the vulnerable, are vulnerable to developing a gambling disorder and can be at significant risk of harm to themselves and others. The good news is that there are a number of organisations that provide support, assistance and counselling to help people control their gambling and prevent it from becoming problematic.
Gambling is an addictive behaviour, causing serious harm to both individuals and their families. It affects a variety of aspects of life including work, family and social well-being. It is also linked to psychological problems and suicide. There is no single form of gambling that is more addictive than others. The addiction is primarily related to the hijacking of the brain’s learning mechanism through random rewards, which makes it very hard to stop gambling even when you are losing money.
People gamble for a number of reasons: for social interaction, to win money, as a form of entertainment or to escape from reality. Gambling is promoted by the media as a fun, sexy and glamorous activity, which contributes to the misperception that it is a low-risk, high reward entertainment choice. However, this is not true; the odds are always against the individual and they are highly prone to lose more than they win.
While some of the negative impacts of gambling have been studied extensively, the positive effects are not as widely understood. For example, it has been found that recreational gamblers are more likely to report higher levels of happiness than non-gamblers. In addition, older adults who gamble report better physical and mental health functioning than non-gamblers.
The costs of gambling are largely financial, but they can also include labour and health and well-being impacts. These impacts manifest on personal, interpersonal and community/societal levels and can have a short or long term effect.
Personal costs are the most common and can result in debt, loss of income and other financial issues. Interpersonal and societal impacts can result in relationship difficulties, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, mental health problems and homelessness. These problems are often hidden as gamblers attempt to conceal their gambling behaviour from friends and family. They may even lie about their activity to avoid being confronted. This can lead to further escalation of gambling, as they start to spend more time and money on their hobby, which is now affecting them financially, emotionally and mentally. It can also cause them to steal from others in order to fund their gambling habit. It can also lead to stress and anxiety, which may make them feel more withdrawn and depressed. This can be a vicious cycle that increases the likelihood of further harmful behaviours such as theft and domestic violence. In extreme cases, it can even result in homicide.
