Gambling is when you risk money or anything of value in a game involving chance, such as betting on sports, playing slot machines, online poker or scratchcards. If you predict the outcome correctly, you win money. If you lose, you’ll lose the money you gambled. Gambling is a big business and it’s legal in many countries. It can be fun and exciting, but it also can be dangerous if you’re not careful.
There isn’t a single definition of gambling, because research scientists, psychiatrists and other treatment care clinicians, as well as public policy makers tend to frame questions about gambling differently. Their perspectives depend on disciplinary training, experience, and world views. The result is that different researchers have framed the discussion about gambling in different ways and this has stimulated debate and controversy.
The current debate about gambling centres on a few key issues. One is the degree to which people who gamble develop a problem, which is defined as “an enduring and recurrent pattern of gambling behaviour that causes significant distress or impairment” (see the Royal College of Psychiatrists website for details). Another issue concerns the extent to which gambling behaviour is driven by impulsiveness.
While most adults and adolescents gamble without problems, a small proportion develop gambling disorders. The disorder is more common in men than women, and people who start gambling at a young age are more likely to become affected than those who start later in life.
People who have a gambling problem may feel the need to keep their habit secretive or lie about how much they gamble, and they are often compelled to continue gambling until they spend their last dollar or even higher in a desperate attempt to win back their losses. They may use gambling as a way to escape stress in the short term but this only adds to their problems in the long run.
Gambling can lead to serious problems for the individual involved, as well as for their family and friends. It can affect self-esteem, relationships, health, work performance and the ability to engage in healthy activities. In addition, it can harm physical and mental wellbeing and cause financial hardship and social disconnection.
Thousands of people around the world make their living exclusively from gambling. They can be found in casinos, racetracks, lotteries and online. They can be found in the high street, at home and on the internet. It is thought that about $10 trillion is legally wagered each year worldwide, though this figure does not include illegal wagers. This is more than the annual budget of the United States and most European countries combined. It is estimated that more than 1 in every 10 adults has a gambling problem. Many of those who have a gambling problem are not aware they have a problem, and this is partly because the signs are not always obvious. There are some key signs to look out for: