marceloburlonGambling is the betting or staking of something of value (such as money, possessions or personal time) on an event whose outcome depends on chance, such as a game, a contest or a lottery. This activity is distinguished from other types of risk-taking, such as investing in stocks or other securities and from games that involve skill.
A small percentage of people who gamble develop a problem and end up losing large sums of money and even their homes. They are often referred to as compulsive or pathological gamblers. They have a mental illness called gambling disorder that is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. The disorder can be treated with therapy and medication.
Various forms of gambling have been around for centuries. It is believed that Palamedes invented dice during the 10-year Trojan War, and astragalus cubes carved from dog or sheep bones were buried in Pharaoh’s pyramids when they died, testifying to the existence of gambling for long before the birth of Christ. The most common form of gambling is betting on the outcome of an event or game. In a modern sense, it includes sports betting, horse racing, lotteries, and casino games.
People who play a game such as blackjack or poker are often trying to carry out complex strategies. They may also be testing their luck to see if they can win, and it is this mental strain that makes some players vulnerable to addiction. The vulnerability is especially high among young people and men, as about 5% of adolescents and 10% of young adults who gamble have developed a gambling disorder.
In addition to the psychological stress, some gamblers are subjected to legal penalties for their gambling activities. Those convicted of misdemeanor offenses can face up to a year in county jail and local fines, while those with felony convictions are likely to spend at least a year in prison. Probation is a common alternative to jail or prison, and courts usually require probationers to avoid gambling.
Gambling contributes to the economy of many countries worldwide, and its effects on society can be both positive and negative. The majority of studies, however, focus on only the economic costs and benefits of the activity, since they are easy to measure in monetary terms.
Social impacts, on the other hand, are more difficult to quantify. These include the emotional and social distress suffered by gamblers, as well as their significant others and the wider community. It is important to understand the broader impact of gambling on society in order to develop more effective policies for controlling its negative effects. This can be achieved by incorporating health-related quality of life (HRQL) weights, or disability weights, into gambling impact studies. The resulting measures would be more accurate than those based on purely monetary outcomes. A health-based approach to gambling could help researchers and policymakers compare the costs and benefits of different gambling policies more accurately.
