Public Health Impacts of Gambling
Gambling is a widespread activity that can be enjoyable for some, but harmful to others. In the worst cases, it can destroy relationships, cost jobs and careers, lead to homelessness and even suicide. Those who do not have a strong family support system and a healthy relationship with money can struggle to recognize and seek help for their problem. Other influences such as culture and beliefs can also make it difficult to admit a gambling problem.
While most people gamble responsibly, some are not able to control their gambling habits. This can result in accumulating debts that ruin their lives. It can also have a negative impact on their health, including increased stress and depression. It can also affect their ability to work, study and care for their families. The addiction can be extremely hard to overcome, but it is possible. Those who are struggling should seek help, and consider getting professional counselling.
Problem gambling affects people on all levels of society. It can affect their physical and mental health, as well as their relationships, performance at work and study and their finances. In many cases, it leads to legal trouble, resulting in fines and jail time. Those who are convicted of misdemeanor gambling often spend a year in county or local jail, while felony convictions can mean a prison sentence and significant fines. Many courts will also require individuals to attend a gambling treatment program.
Whether to support or oppose gambling depends on each individual’s immediate self-interest. Elected government leaders who want to solidify a town’s economic base will often support it, while bureaucrats in agencies that are promised gambling revenue may promote it as well. Owners of large casinos usually support the practice, as it can generate substantial revenue for their businesses.
A number of studies have attempted to identify the economic, labor and health and well-being impacts of gambling. However, these studies have largely ignored the social impacts. Social impacts are defined as costs or benefits that are non-monetary and therefore harder to quantify than monetary ones. They can be assessed using different methodologies, such as health-related quality of life weights or monetary values assigned to intangible harms and benefits.
The article reviews complementing and contrasting methods of assessing gambling impacts, and proposes a conceptual model to analyse them from a public health perspective. The aim is to produce a common methodology for assessing gambling’s effects and to develop a framework that allows the inclusion of all types of social impacts, including those that are not measurable in dollar terms.
