Gambling involves wagering something of value on an event whose outcome is determined at least partly by chance. This could be anything from a football match to buying a scratchcard. Some examples of gambling are betting with friends or placing bets on the outcome of a game of chance in an online casino.
Although most people who gamble do not experience problems, a small subset develops pathological gambling disorder, described in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This disorder is particularly prevalent among young adults and men, who have more to gain with a large win and may be more likely to be at risk of developing an addiction to gambling.
Research has found that the development and severity of gambling problems can be affected by the person’s environment, including their family, social networks, peers, workplace and education. These factors can influence their beliefs about the risks and benefits of gambling. Similarly, biological factors such as brain structure can influence the ways in which individuals process reward information, control impulses and weigh risk when making decisions.
There are several different approaches to studying gambling impacts, including an economic cost-benefit analysis approach and a health-related quality of life (HRQL) weights approach that is used in medical studies. However, there are few methods that have been developed specifically for gambling studies. The time and money spent on gambling can affect a person’s social, physical and mental well-being. These impacts can occur at the individual, interpersonal and community/society levels and last a lifetime.