Gambling is a popular pastime in most countries, with impacts at the individual, interpersonal, and community/society levels. These impacts include financial, labor and health/wellness. The methodological challenges in examining the social impacts of gambling are considerable. For instance, it is difficult to determine how much societal real wealth the activities of gambling generate. Further, it is challenging to define “social” impacts and establish methodologies that are suited to assessing them from a public health perspective.
For some individuals, gambling is a means of escaping unpleasant feelings and situations. Moreover, they may use it to relieve boredom. This is largely because of the way gambling is portrayed in the media; it is seen as fun, sexy and fashionable. Additionally, for some people, gambling helps them to socialize with friends. However, there are healthier and more effective ways of dealing with boredom and negative emotions. Among them are taking up new hobbies, spending time with friends who don’t gamble and exercising.
In addition, gambling is a source of income and employment for many individuals in the country. The city of Las Vegas alone employs more than a million people. Furthermore, casinos have contributed to the economic stability of a number of states.
Gambling also helps individuals develop a variety of skills such as pattern recognition, critical thinking and maths. It can be a great learning tool and encourages teamwork. Some games such as blackjack and poker also encourage players to adopt strategies.
