![\"Gambling\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/4Q29dIq.jpg\")
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Gambling involves betting something of value (money or anything else) on an event whose outcome depends on chance. It can be as simple as a football match or as complex as an investment in a new technology in the hope of future profits. People gamble for a variety of reasons, including to feel more content, distract themselves from negative emotions or to meet new people.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to know that gambling can cause harmful effects not only on the gambler but also their family, friends and work colleagues. It can also affect the community\/society in which they live. Gambling impacts have been observed at the individual, interpersonal and society\/community level and can be at both positive and negative extremes. [1]<\/p>\n
At the individual level, negative impacts from problem gambling can include intangible social costs such as depression or poor work performance, or physical harms such as injuries and deteriorating health. These impacts may be measurable with the use of disability weights (DW) which measure the per-person burden on quality of life and have been applied to the evaluation of healthcare interventions.<\/p>\n
Gambling can also have positive impacts at the society\/community level through gambling revenues which can be partially directed to beneficial causes such as public services. However, fewer studies have examined how these positive impacts compare to the social costs of gambling or are differentiated by severity. In addition, long-term effects of gambling can materialize even when the gambler no longer gambles and can create a change in their life course or pass between generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"