Gambling is any game of chance or skill in which a person stakes something of value for the opportunity to win a prize. The term is most often used to describe the practice of betting on sports events, but it can also be applied to games like poker or card games. While gambling often occurs in places like casinos and racetracks, it can happen in many other settings. People can even gamble through electronic devices, such as the Internet or video poker machines.
Gamblers often make decisions that are influenced by their emotions, and may be tempted to place wagers when they feel bored or stressed. People can learn to manage their feelings and avoid gambling by finding healthier ways to relieve boredom or stress, such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble, or taking up new hobbies. In addition, individuals can seek treatment for problems with gambling from counselors or support groups.
Some people have a genetic predisposition to thrill-seeking behaviours and impulsivity, and they may have difficulty controlling their urges or weighing risks and benefits. These factors can increase the likelihood that a person will develop a gambling problem. Other risk factors include poor financial circumstances and a family history of addiction. People who have been treated for a mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, may also be more likely to gamble.
While there are some negative effects of gambling, the majority of the costs are indirect and intangible, including social impacts, which are difficult or impossible to quantify in dollar terms. Many of these indirect and intangible effects are omitted from consideration in gambling-related economic impact studies. This is a serious shortcoming.
For example, the construction of a casino might require the destruction of a wetland. This might create or transfer an intangible environmental cost, but the exact value of the loss is not known. Likewise, the construction might generate some additional income for the local community, but this income is not directly linked to the cost of building the casino facility.
Another indirect and intangible cost associated with gambling is the impact on public services, such as police and fire departments. These services are usually provided on a volunteer basis, and their quality is affected by the presence of gambling establishments. The impact of gambling on public service costs can be difficult to measure, but it is important to consider when making policy decisions about gambling.
Most studies of gambling-related economic impact are based on gross impact analyses, which compare the net benefits to the net costs of gambling. These studies are limited by the difficulty of identifying and quantifying all of the costs and benefits, and do not account for expenditure substitution effects or other important economic factors. These limitations can lead to distortions in the interpretation of gambling-related impact studies. Nevertheless, these studies should be a key element of any effort to understand gambling’s effects on society. Ideally, they should focus on the fundamental benefit-versus-cost question and address issues such as real versus transfer costs, tangible and intangible effects, and direct and indirect effects.
