4 Reasons Gambling Can Be Addictive

Let me first start off by saying this post is, in no way whatsoever, meant to condemn gambling. When done responsibly, it’s entertaining, exciting, and could even put a few extra dollars in your pocket.

The way to avoid developing a gambling problem is to recognize the ways in which the system is designed to be addictive. Simply put, if you recognize what’s happening, you can avoid the negative consequences (similar to any other activity or substance we consider a “vice”).

In this article, I’ll lay some of the ways gambling can become an addiction.

1 – It Can Be Inherent

You may have heard someone mutter in a moment of honest reflection that they have an “addictive personality.” While it may just seem like cop-out or a way to deflect responsibility for their own destructive behavior—scientifically speaking—people can, in fact, be predisposed to addictions.

Aside from simply being prone to “addiction,” many individuals are programmed, from birth, to seek risk. Because of the obvious risk involved in real money gambling, this can mean these people get their adrenaline rush through methods that might not look like what many would consider traditional risk-taking behavior.

Now, the risk-taking predisposition is inarguable, but if you conduct additional research regarding an inherent or genetic gambling addiction, you might come to another conclusion.

Some experts believe that environmental factors (your friends, the home you grew up in, those you spent time with during your formative years, etc.) play the most significant role in whether or not a child will grow up to have a gambling addiction.

Regardless of which side you believe, one thing is certain: The percentage of gambling addiction in those individuals who grew up with a parent or close relative as an addict is much higher than in those who did not.

2 – Games and Casinos Encourage It

To understand the psychology behind casinos and the games they offer, it’s important to note how exactly they profit.

As you might already know, there’s a slight “house edge” that exists in all games at the casino. The house edge is simply the advantage that the casino has over its players when you look at the odds of a particular game. For example, most people see roulette and blackjack as some of the more favorable games for players, with a house edge of only around 1% (if that).

You might be wondering, “Wouldn’t the casino generate more profits if they had a little more of an advantage?” The answer, somewhat counterintuitively, is no.

The house relies on volume rather than margins to make their billions of dollars each year. This philosophy makes sense when you consider human psychology on a deeper level.

If you go to a casino and know that you have a 30% chance to win money and 70% chance to lose money, it’s unlikely that you’re going to visit very often. It just doesn’t make sense to put yourself in a position where the scales are so heavily tipped against you. However, if you have a 48% chance of winning, you’ll come back over and over because you know it’s nearly as likely you’ll leave as a winner as it is you’ll leave as the loser.

In addition to the odds, the casino utilizes games that fall into what’s known as a “trance-like gaming state.” This is most frequently observed when looking at players who go through the same slot machine cycle of pull, push, pull, push. Gamblers in the aforementioned state have been known to sit at the same machine for 10 hours or more, unable to move and unable to recognize that the finances they need to survive are slowly withering way.

To their credit, casinos do make somewhat of an effort to, at the very least, combat gambling addiction. With that being said, compulsive gamblers are responsible for generating a significant amount of a casino’s revenue, so there’s an incentive to keep them coming back for more.

Casinos are well aware of which patrons are the most profitable. Many have already assigned a “predicted lifetime value” to their customers based off their gambling activity. That means the big spenders often get treated to luxurious perks like suites, limos, tickets to events, and much more.

This further exacerbates the gambling problem until all the money is gone. Once you’re of no use to the casino, the good times usually run out pretty quickly.

3 – Brain Chemistry

As advanced as the methods of gambling seem to be today—with all their flashing lights, bells, whistles, and cheerful, modern appearance—gambling actually targets a very simplistic area of your brain.

The reward system, characterized by a dopamine rush, is triggered when you win. However, what’s more damaging is that it’s often tricked when you lose.

One researcher observed that when a gambler “almost” hit a big win (i.e. getting two out of three cherries on a slot machine) the system started firing. The only problem is that this is completely irrational, and our brains are not built to comprehend that.

Our primitive instincts (the hunter-gatherer) recognize that if you “just miss” an animal or a fish that you were trying to catch for food, it means you’re getting close to accomplishing your ultimate goal.

Casinos have manipulated this part of our brains to show slot players “near-misses” with regularity. The problem is that these near-misses don’t mean you were close; they’re simply shown to keep you believing you almost hit the jackpot, and thus, get you to spin again.

One of the most interesting aspects of gambling addiction is that there is no physical substance involved. With drug or alcohol addiction there’s a clear cycle of substance, dopamine rush, withdrawal, repeat. For gambling addicts, much of the same can be observed, even without putting a substance into the body.

Gambling might be a drug-free addiction, but the neurological reactions mirror those seen more commonly in drug or alcohol addicts. In fact, many gambling addicts have mentioned that they experience a “high,” much in the same way an alcoholic does when they get drunk.

Even more surprisingly, gambling addicts report feeling serious withdrawal when unable to gamble. The symptoms of withdrawal are often indistinguishable from a drug addict’s similar feelings of need. Physical symptoms such as headaches, shortness of breath, and panic attacks have all been observed my gambling addicts in withdrawal.

4 – You Develop a Tolerance

Continuing on with the theme of gambling addiction closely resembling drug or alcohol addiction, your brain actually develops a tolerance to the high felt after a win.

German researchers revealed a study that showed many compulsive gamblers had much different brain activity after a win than those who were not considered to be compulsive gamblers. This poses an interesting question: Once you get to the point where winning no longer excites you like it did in the past, is it too late?

The good news is that you can reverse the impact of this increased tolerance. With that being said, restoring your brain all the way back to its original state takes years of hard work. Not to mention, it can all be wiped away quickly if you get back into gambling too soon.

Some of the options available to restore the normal brain function that has been lost include clinical options such as therapy or cognitive behavior programs, but the first step should always be to simply try to take a break.

If you’ve noticed that hitting a big win is no longer that thrilling, then you might be developing a tolerance for the dopamine rush associated with gambling. This should be an indication that it’s necessary to take steps to avoid a bigger problem developing.

Conclusion

As I stated at the beginning of this article, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from gambling. My goal is to simply spread awareness of how, and why, gambling addiction occurs so regularly in people from all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic statuses.

If you recognize what’s going on, you might be able to stop the problem before it starts. Until then, good luck, and practice responsible gambling!