Gambling is the placing of a bet on something of value, whether it is a scratch card, horse race, lottery ticket, poker chip, blackjack or slot machine, with awareness of risk and in the hope of gain. It can be done legally and illegally, for fun or for money, and in a wide variety of contexts. It ranges from the speculative purchasing of lottery tickets to the sophisticated casino gambling of wealthy people, both of which have socially undesirable consequences, such as debt, divorce, and criminal activity. Gambling problems can be devastating to families and their effect on work, education, health and relationships is widespread. A person can be addicted to any type of gambling, from the casual buying of lottery tickets or betting on sporting events to the more severe addiction to online or land based casino games. Gambling can be a very seductive activity, and is often promoted as fun, exciting, glamorous and sociable, with the media portraying it as such. For some, the lure of gambling is a way to be social with friends, others it is a distraction from financial or relationship issues and for many it is a way to escape into an environment involving different people, sounds, smells and emotions.
Problem gambling is a serious issue, and there are a variety of treatments available. These include individual and group counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapy, marriage, career and credit counseling, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. There is also a significant body of research on gambling, with much of it focusing on the individual and psychological issues involved in problem gambling. These studies have been framed by a number of perspectives, including recreational interest, diminished mathematical skills, cognitive distortions, poor judgment, mental illness and moral turpitude.
A relatively new approach to the study of gambling is a practice theory framework, which recognises that behaviour is shaped by various forces and contexts. This framework can offer a more holistic and integrated approach to understanding gambling behaviour. For example, while there is a wealth of research that focuses on the individual and psychological aspects of gambling, there is a small but growing corpus of knowledge that examines how the wider socio-cultural, economic and regulatory context shapes and influences gambling behaviour. This might lead to more effective harm reduction strategies. For example, it may be more useful for policymakers to consider how to decouple incentives from gambling activities rather than merely focus on restricting access to casinos or promoting self-exclusion. Also, it would be important to make sure that those tasked with marketing gambling services take into account the socio-cultural context in which they are working. This might mean considering the effects of gambling advertising on adolescents for example, and ensuring that such ads do not target them.