Gambling involves risking something of value on an event that is at least partly determined by chance with the intention of winning something else of value. Examples of gambling include placing a bet on a sporting event, purchasing lottery or scratch tickets and betting with friends. While people often think of casino gambling, other forms of it include bingo and games such as marbles or pogs that use collectible game pieces instead of money.
For some people, gambling can be enjoyable and fun, but for others it can cause problems with their physical or mental health, relationships, performance at work or study and even lead to serious debt and homelessness. Problem gambling can also affect family members and friends, and it is important to seek support if you are worried about your own or a loved one’s gambling behaviour.
The growth of legal gambling in recent decades has been accompanied by increasing concern about its social costs. There is no doubt that it has brought some economic benefits, but these have been difficult to quantify.
Studies that try to identify and measure the economic impacts of gambling generally focus on gross impact, which takes into account only the amounts spent by gamblers and the revenues generated by casinos (ignoring expenditure substitution effects). In addition, they ignore the fact that some of the money gamblers spend may be paid to suppliers, or to casino owners or investors from outside a community, in which case the benefits might “leak” into other communities.