Gambling is an activity that involves a risk to win or lose money or something of value. It triggers a range of human emotions and behaviours, which can lead to harms that impact on health. These harms can include financial stress, relationship breakdown, loss of employment or education, mental illness, and suicide [1].
Often, gambling is seen as harmless and fun, but it can cause serious problems for some people. It can affect their physical and emotional health, relationships, performance at work or study, or even get them into trouble with the law. It can also strain their family and friends and cost them a lot of money. Moreover, it can make them feel hopeless and depressed, and even lead to suicidal thoughts.
The act of gambling can trigger a large release of the feel-good chemical dopamine in the brain, which is why it can be so addictive. This is a similar feeling to the rush you get when you eat delicious food or spend time with loved ones. However, this feeling is short-lived and you quickly build a tolerance to it, which means you need to gamble more to feel the same pleasure. This leads to compulsive gambling and, over time, the losses can start to pile up.
Various strategies are available to prevent and reduce gambling harms. These include universal pre-commitment (requiring those who wish to gamble to set binding limits on their time and money spent), self-exclusion, and restrictions relating to access and availability of gambling products. Policymakers can also use public discourse and media campaigns to shape social norms and challenge the perception that gambling is a normal practice.
