Gambling is an activity where people risk something of value (such as money or property) in order to predict the outcome of a game involving chance, such as betting on a football match or a scratchcard. In return, if they are correct they win a prize, which can be anything from a small amount of money to a life-changing jackpot.

Many people enjoy gambling in a social setting, for example visiting a casino with friends or participating in a friendly sports betting pool or lottery ticket buying group. However, some people take their gambling too seriously and become a professional gambler, making a living from the practice. Whether you gamble for fun or as a profession, it is important to understand the risks and benefits of this activity.

A common reaction to a problem with gambling is to try and minimise it by hiding evidence or lying about how much time and money you spend on it. This can also lead to isolation and family problems, which may be difficult to deal with. It is therefore important to recognise when gambling becomes a problem and seek help from a mental health professional.

It can be difficult to assess the impacts of gambling because a lot of the harms are non-monetary in nature and therefore have been overlooked in studies. A new approach to assessing the impacts of gambling has been developed, based on Williams and Walker [32], which aims to incorporate both costs and benefits in calculations.