Gambling is the staking of something of value, often money, on an event whose outcome is determined by chance or luck. It includes traditional activities such as poker and dice games, but also modern forms of gambling like sports betting and daily fantasy sports. The activity has been around for centuries and was almost uniformly suppressed by law until the 20th century.
People gamble for a variety of reasons, from hedonistic pleasure to the hope that they will defy the odds and hit the jackpot. This optimism may be irrational, but it’s a deep human need, tapping into similar psychological and emotional circuitry as religion and faith.
Gambling harms can be serious, affecting health and well-being and social connections. Harms include financial distress, relationship breakdown, family violence and mental illness. In addition, some gamblers have a history of addiction or criminal behavior and can end up in debt with significant financial and personal costs to friends and families. As gambling becomes increasingly normalized through commercialization and digitization, effective population-wide interventions are needed to prevent or reduce harms. These should include universal pre-commitment (requiring people to set binding loss limits) and self-exclusion systems for those who have had problems. These should be provided alongside centralized account registration to help people keep track of their gambling. We know that prohibition and self-imposed limits are the most effective ways to reduce harm, but it’s also critical that governments stop recklessly promoting gambling, especially to vulnerable populations.
