Gambling involves risking something of value (usually money) on an event that is primarily a matter of chance, where instances of strategy are discounted. It has existed in virtually every society since prerecorded history and is often incorporated into local customs and rites of passage. It has both positive and negative social impacts. Its negative impacts are largely associated with organized crime and corruption and its positive ones include entertainment, the opportunity to learn a skill, and a source of income.
In general, gambling is about betting on the outcome of an event involving chance, such as a football match, scratchcard or a race. The choice of the bet is based on the ‘odds’, which are set by the betting company and determine how much money you could win. The odds are based on how likely it is that the chosen outcome will occur, a number of different factors being involved.
Gambling has both positive and negative effects, which can be structuralized into three classes – financial, labor and health/wellbeing. Impacts are also observed at personal, interpersonal and societal/community levels. Personal and interpersonal impacts influence the gamblers themselves and can be invisible or at least not always recognized by gamblers. External impacts, on the other hand, affect those outside of gamblers, e.g. financial strain caused by gambling can affect family members, and the effects of problem gambling may be seen in a community. Some of these impacts are long-term and can create changes in an individual’s life course.