Whether buying lottery tickets, playing online poker or slot machines, or putting together a fantasy sports team, gambling can provide a rush of excitement and entertainment. But it can also create financial ruin and other health problems. Learn how to gamble responsibly.

Gambling is betting something of value, such as money or property, based on an uncertain outcome that is out of one’s control or influence. It can be done with real money, or with things that have a symbolic value, like marbles and collectible games such as Pogs and Magic: The Gathering. It may be illegal in some areas, but people still participate in gambling activities. Governments regulate the amount, types and locations of gambling, as well as setting standards for responsible gambling.

The psychology of gambling

People who gamble do not do so with a desire to become rich, but to enjoy the thrills and rewards that come from taking chances. They want to feel the rush of winning, and they are often motivated by a sense of hope, or an irrational belief that they are special and will defy the odds and win. Gambling taps into the same circuitry of religion: hope, belief, ritual and a deep human need to be “chosen.”

But gambling can cause harms, including financial stress, relationship breakdown, family violence, substance misuse, mental illness and suicide. It is important to reduce the prevalence of gambling-related harm by promoting awareness, education and providing support for those who have a problem. Prevention initiatives include universal pre-commitment (requiring those who gamble to set binding loss limits), centralized account registration and self-exclusion (allowing people to ban themselves from gambling providers).