Gambling is a fun and exciting activity that involves making decisions and strategic thinking. It also provides a great opportunity to socialize and escape from worries and stress. However, gambling can be addictive and lead to serious problems if not managed properly. It is important to know the signs and seek help if you feel that you are struggling with this issue.

Often, people gamble to win money, for the adrenaline rush or because it is fun. However, many people end up losing more than they can afford and end up in debt or even bankruptcy. This can have serious consequences on family relationships and personal health. In addition, some problem gamblers have thoughts of suicide and depression.

Gambling impacts can be structuralized using a model that divides impact categories into benefits and costs (Fig. 1). Benefits include changes in financial situations such as gambling revenues, tourism effects and impacts on other industries, while costs can be categorized into three classes: financial, labor, and health and well-being. Individual impacts induce effects on a personal level to gamblers while external impacts affect the interpersonal and community/society levels and concern other people. The latter are characterized by problems such as financial strain and increased debt that can negatively affect family members’ lives. They can also aggravate other ills such as psychological trauma, substance abuse and even homelessness.