Gambling involves betting something of value, usually money, on the outcome of a game, a contest or an uncertain event, which is determined primarily by chance. It can also include the exploitation of others for profit, such as in staking people against each other in a race or other competition. It is an activity that can be prone to addiction and other problems, particularly when carried out in excess or by vulnerable people.
It appeals to covetousness and greed “which is idolatry” according to the Apostle Paul (Colossians 3:5). It breaches the 1st, 2nd and 8th commandments, enthroning personal desires in place of God. Unlike other types of addictions, which are often rooted in physical substances, gambling is primarily an emotional problem, and can be difficult to overcome.
The harmful impacts of gambling can take many forms, from financial stress and broken relationships to mental illness and suicide. They can persist throughout one’s life and even be transmitted intergenerationally. The harms are multifaceted and disproportionately impact the poor, who may be tempted to gamble with money they need for bills and living expenses.
A growing body of evidence suggests that gambling has significant negative social and health consequences. The negative effects have been linked to a range of disorders, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicidal ideation. In addition, gambling can contribute to family violence and lead to the destruction of close relationships. It can also have adverse economic effects, such as the displacement of tourism and retail businesses, and can increase housing costs by attracting people from other parts of the country and region.
However, a growing body of evidence suggests that there are also positive social and health consequences of gambling. For example, some studies have shown that recreational gamblers report better health functioning than nongamblers. It has also been suggested that older adults who gamble enjoy a greater sense of well-being and self-concept than those who do not gamble. In addition, gambling can provide a form of recreation for seniors who do not have other leisure activities available to them.
Research has identified the potential to measure gambling impacts on a three-dimensional model of benefits and costs. These dimensions have been categorized as financial, labor and health, and community/society. The personal and interpersonal level of impacts are directly affected by gamblers, while the societal/community level of impacts concern those who are not necessarily gamblers themselves. These impacts can be invisible to the gambler, but they are still real and measurable.
The social impacts of gambling can be measured using a number of methods, but the most useful are health-related quality of life weights or Disability Weights (DW). These are per-person measures of the burden of a condition on the quality of one’s life. They can be derived from various sources, such as general DWs, costs/benefits of problem gambling and long-term cost/benefits. These can help identify the social impacts that are often overlooked by researchers.