Gambling is an activity in which individuals make wagers on the outcome of an event such as a sporting match or casino game with the intent of winning something of value, whether through socializing with others, relieving stress or trying to win money. Gambling may have both positive and negative ramifications on society; people may gamble for different purposes including socializing with friends or relieving stress, hoping to win big money, or socializing among themselves. Gambling can become addictive for some individuals leading them down paths that lead to financial, personal, and family problems; health problems while potentially harming relationships between people themselves and those around them.

Gambling’s most obvious cost is money spent on bets. But there are also hidden costs of gambling such as time spent gambling and the opportunity cost associated with not spending that time doing other things; not to mention psychological costs including feelings of anxiety and stress associated with betting.

There are various strategies you can employ to overcome gambling addiction, but the initial step should always be acknowledging you have one. If in doubt, ask yourself these questions:

Are You Struggling with Gambling Addiction? If your answer to any of the following questions was “yes”, this may be a telltale sign that gambling addiction may have gripped your life. Do You Like Winning and Lying About Winning and Losing Amounts or Repeat Attempts to Control Gambling or Stop it altogether? If that describes your circumstances then perhaps gambling addiction has set in.

Once you recognize your gambling issue, it is crucial that you seek help immediately. There are various treatments available for treating gambling addiction including therapy and group support programs; residential treatment may also be an option for those struggling with severe addictions. Furthermore, most states provide gambling helplines or support groups as an additional resource.

While gambling may seem fun and exciting at first, it can have serious negative repercussions for your health, relationships and career – even bankruptcy or homelessness! If you find it hard to control your urges when gambling is involved, surrounding yourself with supportive people and finding other activities to fill your time may help keep gambling away.

In an earlier article, we explored the methodological challenges involved with measuring gambling benefits and costs. While monetary impacts are easy to measure, social and interpersonal effects are harder to ascertain and have often been neglected by research studies. Walker and Williams [32] introduced the concept of societal real wealth as a framework for analyzing gambling’s effects both personally and on communities/societies at large. Financial, labor and health impacts of gambling can be divided into three groups. They manifest at three different levels – personal, interpersonal and societal/community (Fig 1). At an individual level, gambling has direct negative repercussions for gamblers directly while interpersonal and societal/community impacts affect those outside the gambling bubble such as families, friends and coworkers indirectly through indirect effects that occur as a result of gambling (e.g. Fig 1).