Gambling is the staking of something of value, such as money or property, with an aim of winning a prize based on chance. The activity can occur at physical locations such as casinos and racetracks, or online on websites that allow people to place bets. People gamble by betting on sporting events, lottery drawings, card games and other activities that involve chance. People can also bet on the outcome of various forms of entertainment, such as television and movies.

While there is a wealth of gambling research focused on psychological models of individual behaviour, addiction and irrationality, there is a growing corpus of work considering the wider socio-cultural and regulatory context in which such behaviour occurs. This approach could have significant implications for harm reduction efforts, as it demonstrates that factors other than individual choice may play an important role in the development of gambling-related problems.

The majority of gambling is carried out by recreational punters who provide the industry with a huge slice of its annual turnover – some 400 billion dollars. This is not to suggest that gambling companies are only interested in big-money wagers, but rather that they rely on a mix of regular and recreational punters to generate sufficient turnover to cover costs and ensure a profit.

This is why they often focus on marketing their products to these audiences and offer a wide range of incentives to encourage people to gamble, including free drinks, meals and merchandise. The more they can draw in these casual players, the better their odds of success.

However, the gambling industry has its critics, both from within and without the discipline. Critical scholars have drawn attention to the neoliberal-infused political economy that shapes global gambling, and the ways in which it aligns with ideas of competition, progress and Western modernity.

For their part, normative scholars have argued that gambling as a social practice is legitimate and does not pose significant risks to the general public. A nexus of practices approach provides a way to address both of these perspectives by examining how structural forces or broader understandings may suffuse particular practice bundles, such as those that include gambling.

Taking steps to prevent gambling-related harm is essential for the health of both individuals and society. Prevention strategies include universal pre-commitment (requiring people to set binding limits on how much time and money they spend on gambling) and self-exclusion systems (allowing people to ban themselves from gambling providers). These tools should be combined with support services such as counselling, family therapy and inpatient or residential treatment programs for those unable to manage their own symptoms of problem gambling.

If you have a friend or family member who is struggling with compulsive gambling, help them to strengthen their support network by encouraging them to join a peer support group, such as Gamblers Anonymous. These groups can help them understand the causes of their gambling disorder and provide advice on how to avoid relapse. They can also provide local referral resources for certified gambling counselors or intensive treatment and rehabilitation programs in the community.