Gambling is an activity in which an individual puts something of value, such as money, on the outcome of a random event that could be beneficial or harmful. While gambling can be enjoyable for some, it can also cause problems that impact people’s physical and mental health, relationships with family and friends, work performance, and ability to pay bills and debt. For some, the desire to gamble can lead to serious addiction and financial hardship. Problem gamblers may become depressed, experience anxiety, and even suffer from bipolar disorder or other mental health issues. While there is no cure for gambling disorders, treatment for the underlying conditions can help people overcome their urges and learn to manage them with therapy, lifestyle changes, and/or medication.
The economic benefits and costs of gambling can be determined through benefit-cost analysis, a method used in policymaking to identify tradeoffs between alternative options. The fundamental policy question is whether the net social benefits of gambling are greater than the net social costs, and this can be answered by evaluating the relative size of economic benefits and costs, real and transfer effects, tangible and intangible benefits and costs, and direct and indirect benefits and costs (Fahrenkopf, 1995).
Many studies of the economic impact of gambling focus on gross impacts, which emphasize the number of jobs created and the amount of taxes generated, and fail to examine other important factors. In addition, they often omit intangible costs and benefits that are difficult or impossible to quantify in dollars, such as the emotional pain and other losses experienced by families of pathological gamblers and the loss of productivity caused by employees who are addicted to gambling.
Some reasons why people gamble include changing moods, the dream of a big jackpot win, and social rewards (Per Binde, 2013). For example, the brain releases dopamine when you win money, which triggers feelings of euphoria that can change your mood. In the short term, this can relieve stress and boredom, make you feel more confident, or improve your self-esteem.
While it’s important for loved ones to understand the risks of gambling, they should also encourage their loved one to find healthier and more productive ways to deal with unpleasant emotions and boredom. Some good ways to do this include exercising, spending time with family and friends who don’t gamble, taking up new hobbies, or practicing relaxation techniques. Moreover, counseling can help people identify and address unhealthy beliefs and thoughts that encourage addictive behaviors, including compulsive gambling. There are also a variety of medications that can be used to treat depression, anxiety, and other conditions that contribute to gambling problems, and these are available from licensed counselors or psychiatrists. These medications are not approved by the FDA, but they can help alleviate the symptoms of these conditions and reduce the urge to gamble. While there is no cure for gambling disorders, treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy can help people stop the cycle of gambling and solve their financial, work, and relationship problems.
