Gambling is an activity where a person stakes something valuable on a random event with the intent of winning a prize. This can include casino games, poker, dice and sports betting. While some gamblers are able to control their gambling behavior and only spend what they can afford, others are not. Pathological gambling is a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and can lead to severe financial and psychological problems. It is a complex problem that affects all aspects of a person’s life including relationships, work performance and health and well-being.
While a small percentage of people can manage their gambling, most experience a serious addiction. It is important to understand the risks of gambling and how to recognize a gambling problem in order to seek help. There are many ways to treat gambling addiction, including therapy, peer support groups and medication. If you know someone who is struggling with gambling addiction, talk to them and encourage them to get help. There are also many helpful resources available to those struggling with gambling addiction, such as Gamblers Anonymous and support groups based on 12 step programs.
The underlying issues that contribute to gambling problems vary by individual and include genetic predisposition, lack of social support, depression, stress, boredom or other factors. For some, gambling is an escape from a stressful lifestyle or a way to cope with negative emotions like anxiety, anger and sadness. For others, the allure of winning money is so strong that it becomes a form of self-medication and they must gamble more to feel good about themselves. The addiction to gambling can even cause a change in the brain’s chemical messengers, making it hard for a person to control their behavior.
In addition to the personal and interpersonal costs of gambling, there are external costs at the community/societal level. These impacts are divided into three classes: financial, labor and health and well-being. The financial impacts of gambling are the changes in finances due to increased or decreased gambling activity. Labor impacts of gambling are the changes in productivity, absenteeism and other job-related issues. Health and well-being impacts of gambling are the direct and indirect effects on physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.
There are many challenges to conducting longitudinal studies on gambling. These include the need to find sufficient funding for a long-term commitment, sample attrition and the knowledge that gambling can fluctuate with the seasons or the introduction of new casinos. However, longitudinal studies are becoming more commonplace and sophisticated and are beginning to offer a greater understanding of the effects of gambling. Longitudinal data can help to identify the different ages at which people develop gambling problems and how these relate to changes in the economy. In addition, they can show how the social impacts of gambling can be measured. This data is critical to the development of a common methodology for measuring the externalities of gambling.