Gambling is an activity in which people risk something of value (money) for the chance to win a prize. It happens in a variety of settings, including casinos, racetracks, gas stations, church halls, sporting events and on the Internet. In addition, many people gamble in their free time as a way to relieve boredom or anxiety. While gambling can be fun and exciting, it can also be harmful if it is abused.

While negative impacts of gambling have been well documented, research into positive aspects has been limited. Most studies have been conducted from a cost-benefit perspective, which measures changes in quality of life using dollar values. However, this approach neglects the positive aspects of gambling and fails to address harms that are not monetary in nature.

A public health approach to studying gambling has the potential to identify both positive and negative aspects of the phenomenon. This method can be used to discover gambling harms that are not monetary in nature, such as decreased social capital and mental health functioning. It can also be used to measure intangible social benefits of gambling.

While most studies have focused on the costs of gambling, the social impacts are also important. These effects occur at the personal, interpersonal and community/society levels and affect people who are not necessarily gamblers themselves. These impacts can have both short and long-term effects and may change a person’s life course or even pass between generations.