Gambling and Its Impacts
Gambling is the risking of money or something of value on an event involving chance, such as betting on a football match, or playing a scratchcard. The event chosen is matched with a set of ‘odds’, such as the probability of winning and losing. If the odds are correct, a gambler wins money. If not, the gambler loses their money. The odds are a key concept in gambling because they help calculate the probability of an outcome and how much you can win or lose.
The government regulates gambling, generating revenue that can be used to improve infrastructure and health care. The profits from casinos also provide jobs and contribute to a local economy. These jobs can include casino hosts, software developers and designers, dealers, pit bosses and people working in catering or security. Many of these jobs pay above the minimum wage.
While gambling can have positive impacts on a person’s life, it can also have negative effects on the family, friends and community. It is important to know the risks of gambling and how to recognize problems in a loved one. It is also important to learn healthier ways to relieve unpleasant feelings, such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble or practicing relaxation techniques.
The benefits and costs of gambling can be structured into three classes: financial, labor and health and well-being. The impacts can be observed on personal, interpersonal and societal/community levels (Fig. 1). The personal level refers to the impact on gamblers themselves, while the interpersonal and societal/community levels influence others not involved in gambling.