Gambling involves risking something of value (like money) based on a chance outcome that is out of your control or influence with the understanding that you will either gain more value or lose it. It is very common for people to gamble for fun, socialising with friends or to escape from stress or worries – but it can become dangerous when you are addicted.
The highs and lows of gambling can affect your mental health by altering your brain chemistry. This can have a negative impact on your emotions, leading to depression and anxiety. It can also lead to a lack of pleasure in things that you used to find enjoyable, such as food and sex. It can even change your brain structure and make it difficult to experience normal feelings such as happiness or sadness.
It is important to understand that gambling is a form of addiction and that it can be treated, just like any other substance or activity. However, it is crucial that you know the signs to look out for and get help immediately if you think you have a problem. This is especially important for young people, veterans, adolescent women, older adults, Latino and Asian communities as they are at a higher risk of developing an addiction to gambling.
In the most severe cases, gambling can cause compulsive gambling disorder. This is when you are unable to stop gambling despite the problems it causes in your life, and have uncontrollable urges to gamble, even when you are losing money. You may lie to your family and friends, use up all your savings or credit cards, and even resort to stealing or fraud in order to fund your gambling habits.
Gambling is an industry that employs a wide range of people, from dealers and odds compilers to marketing and public relations staff. Many of these people are paid salaries based on the profits made by the gambling venues. This means that if the venues don’t make big profits, they won’t be able to pay their staff, and this could impact their job security and wages.
Various studies have investigated the economic impacts of gambling. However, these studies often fail to take into account the cost of addiction to gambling and do not provide a balanced perspective. A more recent approach is to investigate the costs of gambling by using a ‘health-related quality of life’ (HRQL) weighting, known as disability weights. The aim is to discover intangible social costs associated with gambling, including those incurred by the gambler and their significant others. This type of research is in its early stages and requires further development. This article was originally published in September 2015. It has since been updated to include new information. This content contains references to suicide and self-harm, which can be very distressing for those affected. If you are feeling distressed or suicidal, please seek help now – see the links at the bottom of the page.