The Positive Effects of Gambling
Gambling is practiced as a leisure activity in casinos, lotteries, or online and involves betting on events with an uncertain outcome. While many people enjoy a flutter on the pokies or sports, others become addicted to gambling and suffer significant harm. Compulsive gambling can lead to financial, social, and mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. However, gambling can also provide positive effects for some individuals.
Most of us have played a game on our phones that we loved at first but then it started to feel repetitive and boring. This is because the brain gets used to it and isn’t stimulated as much anymore. This same principle applies to gambling. In the beginning, the brain is excited by the novelty and potential for winning big money but over time the excitement diminishes.
As a result, the brain starts to expect a negative outcome more often than a positive one, which drives the gambler to keep playing. This is called a ‘tolerance’. Tolerance can be countered by limiting the number of times a person plays or by setting money and time limits. It can also help to seek therapy for underlying mood disorders that can be caused or made worse by gambling.
When people gamble, they produce adrenaline and dopamine in their brains, which makes them feel good. This is why many people feel happier after a bet they have won. However, these positive feelings are short-lived and it is important to learn how to self-soothe unpleasant emotions in healthier ways such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble, or practicing relaxation techniques.
Despite the fact that some people can’t control their behaviour, most gamblers are in control of their addiction and can stop when they want to. Problem gamblers can be helped by therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which helps them identify and challenge the thoughts that fuel their addictive behaviour. Other forms of therapy include psychodynamic therapy, which looks at how unconscious processes influence our behavior, and group therapy.
Some people may oppose allowing gambling in their region or state, claiming that it can cause crime, addiction, and other social ills. Others may support it, arguing that it will attract tourists, boost local economies, and generate tax revenue. However, studies have shown that the economic costs of gambling can outweigh the benefits. The most severe impacts of gambling are imposed on personal and interpersonal levels. Interpersonal and community/society level impacts are less well-documented but are important to consider as well.
When examining the impact of gambling it is important to look at all types of harms, including problem gambling. It is common for economic costing studies to only examine the costs of problem gambling, leaving other types of harms unaddressed. This approach is flawed and leads to underestimating the total cost of gambling. Instead, we need to take a public health approach to understanding the benefits and costs of gambling. This would allow us to understand the whole spectrum of impacts, including non-problem and pathological gambling.