Gambling is an activity in which people risk something of value – such as money or goods – to win something of higher value. It can take many forms, from placing a bet on a football match to playing scratchcards. A person’s chances of winning are based on a combination of factors such as their skill, luck and the odds – i.e. how likely they are to win – set by the betting company.

While gambling can be a fun pastime, there is also the potential for it to cause problems. Problem gamblers can experience significant financial, social and personal problems, which can lead to family breakdown, debt and even bankruptcy. There are many risk factors for developing a gambling problem, including being a male, having poor mental health or living alone. Children as young as seven can struggle with gambling-related addictions by spending too much time playing video and mobile games, which often require micro-transactions or payments.

Research into the impact of gambling can be approached from a variety of perspectives, with different methods and theories used to calculate costs and benefits. These can include a cost of illness approach, which assigns monetary values to intangible harms, as well as a cost-benefit analysis that focuses on changes in economic value. However, it is important to remember that not all gambling impacts are purely monetary in nature, and that both the negative and positive effects can be experienced by those who use gambling in some form. These impacts can be observed at the individual, interpersonal and community/society levels (Fig. 1).