Public Health and Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of something of value on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. It is a popular activity for people of all ages and backgrounds, and has many negative consequences for gamblers, their families, and society. Gambling has been characterized as a “loss-generating machine,” and is often seen as a vice that negatively impacts communities, individuals, and the economy.
While the majority of gambling activities are conducted in commercial establishments, some forms of gambling can be undertaken privately. For instance, friends or family members may socialize and compete in games like poker, bridge, or card games where the wagers are made with chips instead of money. People may also make bets on sports events, such as football or horse races, within their social circle for fun and enjoyment. In addition, charitable and community organizations rely on gambling revenues to operate their programs. As new forms of gambling arise, they can negatively impact gambling-related revenue from these sources.
Although some positive outcomes have been associated with gambling, the vast majority of studies that investigate gambling’s impacts focus on harms. Researchers can take different approaches to studying gambling, including a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) that measures changes in well-being in terms of dollar values and uses health-related quality-of-life weights to assign monetary value to intangible harms not directly measurable in dollars.
However, this approach neglects the positive benefits of gambling. Furthermore, it is not suited to identifying gambling’s indirect social costs that are not directly measurable in monetary terms. In an attempt to address these limitations, some researchers have adopted a public health perspective to study gambling. This approach focuses on examining the effects of gambling from both a societal and individual level, as opposed to analyzing its effects solely on an economic basis [32].
A CBA framework is appropriate for evaluating gambling’s impacts because it takes into account all of the potential outcomes, good and bad, that may occur as a result of gambling. These include direct, measurable costs such as those incurred by treatment providers and prevention efforts; indirect, intangible costs that cannot be quantified in monetary terms, such as emotional stress and relationship problems; and the economic impacts on a gambler’s quality of life and the effect on their significant others.
If you are struggling with a gambling addiction, it is important to seek help before it gets out of control. There are many ways to get help, including finding a support group or attending an intensive treatment program. You should also set boundaries with spending and try to reduce risk factors, such as using credit cards or carrying large amounts of cash. Also, find a recreational activity or hobby to replace your gambling time. This could be as simple as joining a book club, sporting team, or taking an education class. You can also talk about your problem with someone you trust, such as a friend or professional counselor.
Gambling is the wagering of something of value on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. It is a popular activity for people of all ages and backgrounds, and has many negative consequences for gamblers, their families, and society. Gambling has been characterized as…