Gambling involves placing a value on a random event with the intention of winning something else of value. It is different from skill-based activities like playing a game of basketball, which can be learned and practiced and where the outcomes are determined by the effort and skill of the player. People engage in gambling for many reasons – to have fun, make money, socialise with friends and family or escape from boredom or stress. However, when someone becomes addicted to gambling, it is no longer about entertainment and can cause significant harm for them and their loved ones.
Problem gamblers are often unaware that their behaviour is causing harm to those close to them, including themselves. As a result, they often hide their gambling or lie about how much time and money they spend on it.
In addition, problem gamblers tend to have poor self-control and can be impulsive. As a result, they are at risk of a range of negative consequences, including increased debt and financial difficulties, deteriorating health and even homelessness. These consequences can have a wide impact on the entire community and society at large.
There are various factors that can lead to the development of a gambling addiction, including an early big win, boredom susceptibility, use of escape coping, a poor understanding of random events and the illusion of control. These factors can be compounded by a combination of genetic predispositions, life experiences and environmental circumstances.
For example, it is well known that people are more sensitive to losses than gains of the same amount. This is because the brain’s reward pathway reacts to losses more than they do to wins of the same amount. As a consequence, people will invest time and money in attempts to ‘win back’ their losses, which becomes an addictive cycle.
Another factor that contributes to a person becoming a problem gambler is the tendency to expect reinforcement from their actions, irrespective of whether they are successful or not. This is called partial reinforcement. A person will continue to take risks and invest in their behaviour if they feel rewarded, despite a loss or string of losses.
People also tend to overestimate the chance of winning a prize, based on their own past experience, and/or their memory of stories from the news or the media of other people who have won. This is a form of confirmation bias and is called the illusory superiority effect.
In general, studies focusing on the positive impacts of gambling tend to focus on economic benefits that are easily quantified and reported. However, there is a growing recognition of the need to explore social impacts as well. These are the costs and benefits of gambling that affect people who don’t gamble or those close to them but who are not themselves affected by the gambling. Social impacts can be observed at the personal, interpersonal and community/society level (Fig 1). Traditionally, these have been underestimated because they are harder to quantify.