The Risks and Dangers of Gambling
Gambling is a popular activity that involves betting money or other items of value on events that are at least partly determined by chance. It is a common part of recreational activities and is conducted in many places, including casinos, horse races, lottery games, and online gaming. Some individuals are able to gamble responsibly and enjoy the thrill of winning, while others struggle with gambling addiction. It is important to know the risks involved with gambling and how to identify a problem.
Historically, the word “gamble” referred to fraudulent playing for money; it also describes those who play for high stakes and are often described as sharpers or rooks (Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, 1989). The modern definition of gambling is wagering on uncertain outcomes of chance activities, and in some cases, skillful gamblers can make substantial profits.
A gambling addiction can have a profound impact on your life and the lives of those closest to you. Symptoms of a gambling addiction can include secretiveness and lying to avoid being caught, a desperate need to win back lost money, deteriorating physical health, changes in personality, and even loss of employment. Some people even become suicidal as a result of their gambling problems.
The understanding of the adverse consequences of gambling has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent times. Individuals who experience them are no longer considered to be unlucky or unfortunate, but rather to have psychological problems that need to be treated. This change has been reflected in the evolution of diagnostic descriptions and criteria for pathological gambling in the various editions between 1980 and 1994 of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (called DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association.
In addition, there is a growing recognition that gambling can be addictive in the same way that other substances of abuse are. Several studies show that gambling can trigger the release of dopamine in brain areas similar to those activated by drugs of abuse. This has been attributed to the combination of risk-taking and uncertainty associated with gambling.
Gambling is a major international business, and it has a worldwide presence. Legalized casinos can be found in many countries, and organized lotteries are offered in most European countries and a large number of South American and Asian nations. Many people also place bets on sports or events that are not formally organized, such as buying a ticket for a football game.
Economic impact studies of gambling tend to concentrate on a single aspect of its effects and are insufficiently rigorous to address issues such as real versus economic transfer, expenditure substitution, and tangible versus intangible costs and benefits. These studies also tend to ignore the potential for gambling benefits to leak out of a community and into other communities in the form of taxes paid, gambling establishment investments, and jobs created. They are also insufficiently explicit about the geographic scope of their analysis.
