Gambling is a game of chance that involves risking money or something of value. It can be a traditional sport, like a football match or a scratchcard, or more modern forms of online gambling, where you use your computer, mobile phone or tablet to place bets on games with real money.
A gambling problem can be treated with therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, family and group therapy. It is also possible to get help from a sponsor in an organisation such as Gamblers Anonymous, which has a similar structure to Alcoholics Anonymous.
In the United States, about one in ten people suffer from gambling disorder. While a small percentage of gamblers will stop on their own, most need professional help to prevent further harm and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Generally, gambling problems begin in adolescence or in older adulthood and can affect men as well as women. Some risk factors for gambling disorder include social inequality, a family history of gambling, and trauma.
The concept of gambling has a long and complicated history, dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Today, gambling is an international commercial activity with billions of dollars in revenues.
It is also a highly addictive behaviour. It can lead to serious financial, physical and emotional problems. It can lead to problems in relationships and even be a cause of suicide.
Harm from gambling is a complex phenomenon that requires a definition that can capture the full breadth of harms and facilitate more appropriate measures. The lack of a robust, agreed-upon definition is problematic for public health professionals and researchers.
Neal et al [1] identified the need for a definition of gambling related harm in order to develop more effective measures and interventions. However, the current Australian and Queensland Government definitions are not particularly helpful, as they lack a comprehensive description of the nature of harm and are too vague to be useful in operationalising the concept for measurement purposes.
This paper proposes a conceptual framework for harms from gambling, which links discrete concepts based on multiple theories to generate a taxonomy of harms. The framework captures the full breadth of harms experienced by people who gamble, and their affected others and the broader community.
A key feature of the framework is that it is a temporal category and not a continuum. The behaviour may vary in intensity on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It is important to note that harms do not occur in isolation and are frequently associated with a range of other harmful behaviours or reduced health states, such as alcohol use and depression.
The first thematic classification of harms was those relating to financial and economic losses. These are significant for the person who gambles and have an impact on their personal finances and capacity to spend discretionary items, such as family outings, cultural activities or involvement in sporting, artistic or educational activities.
Another thematic classification of harms was those affecting the relationships between the person who gambles and their affected others, including friends, family and the wider community. They are also important for the affected others, but are not as easily quantifiable as financial harms.