In addition to affecting a person’s finances, Gambling can also cause emotional distress. This can be characterized by feelings of shame, guilt, helplessness, grief, and self-hatred. The number of people who experience these effects from gambling is estimated to be between four and six percent. High levels of stress have been linked to physical health outcomes, and gambling is associated with heart conditions, high blood pressure, stomach disorders, and cardiac arrest.
Despite the negative effects of gambling, it is important to note that there are many other people that are negatively affected. In addition to the gambler, a gambling problem will have a wide impact on other people in their life. On average, one person’s problem gambling will negatively affect five to ten other people. This number can be three to four times higher than the overall rate of problem gambling among the general population. It is estimated that approximately 30% of adult New Zealanders know someone who has a gambling problem and 8% have suffered some type of harm due to this. Specifically, children and partners experience the most negative financial impact, and gambling is also an addictive substance.
The effects of Gambling are evident at various levels: at the personal, interpersonal, and community level. Individuals with problem gambling tend to be more withdrawn, and socialising with friends and family is an effective way to relieve stress and stressors. This type of addiction can also be a coping mechanism, resulting in homelessness and bankruptcy. For these reasons, it is important to support those with gambling problems through various means, including counselling.
Research on the negative impacts of gambling has shown that revenues from the gambling industry have positive effects on the lives of gamblers, while there are far fewer studies that have examined the positive impacts. Health-related quality of life weights, or ‘disability weights’, have been used to assess the negative consequences of gambling. This method has been useful for assessing the intangible costs of gambling, and it is an effective way to investigate the social costs of such a problem.
The impacts of gambling can be observed at the personal, interpersonal, and community level. In the case of a person with a gambling problem, there are usually five to ten other people who are impacted negatively. This means that the numbers of people who are negatively affected by one person’s problem gambling are three to four times higher than the prevalence of problem gambling in the general population. It is estimated that in New Zealand, 30% of adults know someone with a gambling problem and 8% of people have personally experienced the effects of this problem. In these cases, children of a gambler typically experience the worst levels of harm. The number of impacted people includes spouses, partners, who are most frequently effected financially.
The effects of gambling are visible at the personal and interpersonal level. The harms of gambling can even extend to a relationship. The negative effects of gambling are often the most severe when it comes to children. The social costs of gaming may be three to four times higher than those of problem gambling. Further, it is important to understand the social and economic impact of the negative effects of gambling. It is not only the gambler who is negatively affected.
