The Impact of Gambling

The Impact of Gambling
Gambling can cause harm and affect the health of people who gamble, their family,

friends, workplaces and communities. These harms include negative impacts on self-
esteem, relationships, work performance and social life e wallet casino singapore. Problem gambling is also

associated with mental and physical health issues like anxiety, depression and
migraines. This is why it is important to recognise the signs of gambling harm and
take action if necessary.

Gambling is a high-stakes activity, which can result in financial losses. Moreover, it
is a form of addiction that can have many negative effects on a person’s well-being
and even lead to suicide. It is classified as an impulse control disorder in the
American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition
(DSM-5) and is an illness that needs to be treated.
The main impact of gambling is its financial, but there are other costs too. These
include a decrease in quality of life and the need for social services. In addition,
gambling increases inequality in a society as higher-income households spend much
more on gambling than lower-income ones. In fact, the poorest households lose a
large portion of their income on gambling. This leads to increased dependency on
state benefits and an increase in poverty [75].
In terms of the social costs of gambling, the majority are non-monetary and difficult
to measure. These include emotional costs, which are caused by the high-stakes
nature of gambling and the difficulty to manage one’s money. In particular, the
regret and stress resulting from losing money can be very distressing for people who
gamble.

Additionally, a sense of achievement is often linked to gambling, and the elation
experienced when winning can be highly motivating. The brain also releases
dopamine as a result of near misses, and this can keep people playing for longer
than they intended. This is exacerbated by the fact that gamblers tend to feel their
achievements more than other people, which can result in increased social isolation.
Other social costs of gambling include a decrease in community/society benefits
such as the sense of connectedness and social capital that results from a range of
activities, such as sports and leisure activities. This can have a particularly negative
effect on low-income households, which spend more on gambling and are more
likely to be affected by the introduction of new forms of gambling.
Finally, gambling can have indirect impacts on the societal level such as increased
debt and other costs that are paid by those close to a gambler, for example their
family. Alternatively, it can have direct societal/community levels impacts through
things like the impact on a gambler’s work performance, which has been shown to
be significantly reduced by problem gambling. It is also estimated that one
gambler’s problem impacts 5 to 10 other people, which can include their children
and partners. This can result in a loss of income, which can be used for other
activities that can lead to a better quality of life.