Gambling involves betting on an event with a random outcome – for example, a football match or scratchcard. You pay money to gamble and then choose a ‘bet’, which is matched to ‘odds’ (how much you could win). You then play the event, which can be fun or stressful. If you win, you get the money back – but if you lose, you’ll end up spending more than you have.

The good news is that it’s possible to control the amount you spend, and there are lots of other ways to have fun. But many people who struggle with gambling are attracted to it for all the wrong reasons: they have an early big win, a poor understanding of random events, boredom susceptibility, impulsivity and a desire to escape their daily life. This can lead to a vicious cycle of spending more and more, which then increases their stress levels.

In the long run, this leads to financial costs for society/community and personal losses for individuals. Sadly, the latter are often ignored in calculations of these impacts because they are non-monetary. This is a major flaw in methodology, which has led to a misrepresentation of the true cost and benefits of gambling. For this reason, it is important to include universal pre-commitment and self-exclusion as tools for people wanting to take control of their gambling.