People gamble for many reasons: to win money, socialise, escape from worries or stress. However, if gambling becomes a problem, it can have harmful effects on your mental and physical health. If you think that you have a problem, it is important to seek help. There is plenty of support available and you can find out more by visiting the Royal College of Psychiatrists website. There are also ways to reduce your gambling, such as avoiding advertising or removing yourself from sites that encourage gambling.
Gambling can cause many impacts at personal, interpersonal and community/society levels (see Fig. 1). Impacts can be positive or negative, and they can have direct or indirect causes. Indirect impacts are caused by the activities of others who may benefit or be harmed by gambling, such as the effect of a gambler’s debt on family members and the impact of escalating gambling harms on the community such as bankruptcy, homelessness and social disconnection.
Some positive impacts of gambling include generating tax revenue and providing jobs in the gaming industry. In addition, some studies have shown that recreational gamblers report improved physical and psychological functioning and lower rates of depression and anxiety compared to nongamblers. Among older adults, recreational gambling can be especially beneficial as it provides an alternative activity to other types of leisure time pursuits and offers the hope of small wins.
The negative impacts of gambling can be very serious and lead to financial distress, relationship breakdown, family violence, ill mental health and even suicide. These impacts can last a lifetime and can be passed down from generation to generation. Prevention is the key to reducing gambling harm and the best approach is population-wide interventions such as ending advertising, providing centralized account registration to require those who gamble to set binding loss limits and restrictions on access to gambling venues.
One of the most immediate benefits of reducing gambling is improved financial health. Those who spend more than they can afford to lose are depriving themselves of funds that could be used for savings, investments or essential living expenses. Similarly, those who spend too much time concentrating on casino games are wasting their brains, as they are not using them to learn and develop new skills. By stepping away from these activities, people can rebuild their financial health and have more confidence in their ability to manage their finances. They can then focus on other important life goals and pursue them more successfully.