Gambling and Its Harmful Effects
Gambling is more than just placing a bet on the next Las Vegas jackpot, betting on sports teams or buying scratchcards. Almost anything that involves risk and chance can be considered gambling, including DIY investing, fantasy leagues, online poker and even some video games. And although the narrative around gambling tends to skew negative, there are some real benefits to this type of recreation.
Gambling activates the brain’s reward system by presenting the possibility of sudden positive reinforcement. When you win, your brain releases dopamine – the neurotransmitter that produces feelings of excitement and anticipation. This effect is heightened when you bet against the odds and receive unexpected positive reinforcement, such as winning a big bet or hitting a jackpot on a slot machine.
The ease with which people can gamble is one of the main drivers of its prevalence. Easy access to gambling products increases the likelihood of uptake, especially among those who are vulnerable or living in disadvantaged situations. Promotional strategies such as sponsorship, co-location with high profile sporting events and aggressive advertising in social media can also increase gambling activity.
Another key factor is the availability of low-cost gambling opportunities, especially for those with lower incomes. Easy-to-use machines like video lottery terminals and electronic gaming machines are cheap to operate, making them highly accessible to those who may not have enough money to afford traditional forms of entertainment. Moreover, many of these devices are often located in deprived areas.
These factors, coupled with the psychological pressures of debt and other negative consequences, can lead to gambling-related harms such as relationship breakdown, financial stress, poor health and mental illness. They can also affect family members and children, resulting in long-term effects that can endure throughout an individual’s life and even transmit across generations.
There are a number of ways to address these problems, including intervention programs and strict regulation of gambling. In particular, interventions to reduce the harms associated with gambling include reducing the advertising and promotion of gambling, requiring those who participate in gambling to set binding loss limits, and limiting gambling venues’ opening hours and density. Other measures include instituting mandatory peer support groups for those suffering from gambling addiction, and providing alternative activities that can foster socialization and provide a sense of achievement, such as learning new skills, playing team sports or volunteering for a worthy cause.
If you’re struggling with a gambling problem, try to identify the reasons why you want to change. You can then create a plan to overcome the problem by relying on personal connections, peers who understand what you’re going through and professionals who can offer guidance and help. It’s important to remember that you’ll likely experience some relapses when trying to break the habit, but these should be seen as opportunities to learn and improve your plan. If you have no immediate support network, consider joining a community such as Gamblers Anonymous or a 12-step recovery program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous.
