Gambling involves risking money or material values on the outcome of a chance event. Whether it is the roll of a dice, the spin of a roulette wheel or the result of a horse race, gambling centers on uncertainty and risks. Historically, gambling has been considered immoral and illegal. Today, however, many countries have legalized gambling and it has become more normalized through new commercial associations with sports and cultural activities that are heavily promoted.
Gambling is often viewed as an addictive behaviour and research has indicated that it is associated with a number of harms including financial stress, relationship problems, family violence, mental health issues and even suicide. Harms from gambling often have a long term legacy and can affect multiple generations of families.
People with gambling disorders are often unable to control their urges, and can experience difficulty stopping gambling or identifying the harm it causes them. As a result, they may hide their spending or lie to family and friends about how much they are gambling. Moreover, they may spend more time on gambling than they intended or feel compelled to gamble in order to cope with negative emotions.
Some people are more likely to develop a gambling problem than others. People experiencing significant life events such as separation, retirement or loss of a loved one are at higher risk and social stressors including poverty, discrimination or other disadvantage can also increase risks. In addition, people who have an underlying mental illness or a history of substance use disorder are more at risk of developing gambling disorders.
Moreover, there are some people who may have genetic predispositions that affect their ability to regulate impulses or control their risk-taking. These factors can contribute to the development of gambling disorder and may be related to differences in brain reward systems.
There are several ways to prevent gambling problems. For example, education about the dangers of gambling can help. Additionally, people who are at risk can be provided with support and assistance from various organisations which offer gambling helplines and other services. In addition, implementing population-wide interventions such as universal pre-commitment (requiring people who gamble to set binding limits) and self-exclusion (allowing people to ban themselves from gambling providers) is important. These strategies are known to reduce gambling-related harms and should be complemented by a comprehensive public information campaign. This includes counter-messaging that conveys warnings about the harms of gambling.