I'm just wondering, after reading this forum and looking at other media stories if 'problem' gamblers is a bit of a label misstep. Do people, regardless of inclination initially, all run the risk of gambling compulsively purely because of how our brain works? If you gamble enough will you eventually become compulsive even if, say, you are only gambling on the lottery each week? Does it become habit, a chasing losses or an up and down thrill, that nobody can resist?
I would love your thoughts? I guess I’m saying that taking the amount we lose out of it, but looking at it purely as a habit.
I don't think gambling on the lottery for years induces any compulsion in the vast majority of people.
I do however believe that getting big wins, especially when just starting gambling, will induce compulsion in a significant number of people who would not have become compulsive otherwise.
brucey-b wrote: I don't think gambling on the lottery for years induces any compulsion in the vast majority of people.
I do however believe that getting big wins, especially when just starting gambling, will induce compulsion in a significant number of people who would not have become compulsive otherwise.
I absolutely agree with brucey. Who actually wins more than a tenner on the lottery??
Once you hit a significant win in any form of gambling - you're in trouble. Then gambling takes on the role of a drug.
And that's why casino games and odds betting are modelled towards extreme highs and extreme lows lil, rather than modelled around cautious profit and cautious losses
ie. The extreme lows of a gambler are great for the industry as they profit immensely from them. The extreme highs of a gambler are also great for the industry as they will EVENTUALLY profit from them... It's a win/win for the gambling operators... They may not have got you today, but they know they'll get you in the end. And in many ways when punters go home thinking they have beaten the system today that's when the punter is at their most vulnerable.
Those that come on here and start a diary saying that "I've gambled but luckily I broke even before doing my load" or "I've relapsed but luckily this time I ended up in profit" - those are the ones that are in the most trouble. Spend that extra little bit of time supporting them because whether they realise it or not... The way by which they talk means that they are the most f****d on here and need all help they can get.
This all makes sense, it becomes about winning, so, if you experience a win then you wish to repeat that feeling? I think I’m thinking of the repetition, the act of just repeatedly risking and then the high of winning, coupled with the anxiety of losing. It makes me feel very sad reading these posts.
Lil30 wrote:
This all makes sense, it becomes about winning, so, if you experience a win then you wish to repeat that feeling? I think I’m thinking of the repetition, the act of just repeatedly risking and then the high of winning, coupled with the anxiety of losing. It makes me feel very sad reading these posts.
The first big win starts off the problem. At first, it is chasing the feeling of a win again. Then it becomes about chasing losses. As the problem progresses, it becomes more about the repetition. Numbing escapism from real life, and a continuous dopamine hit from the emotional rollercoaster. Brain scans have shown that to an established CG, near-wins (also known as losses..) give the same high as wins.
Yes I agree with the last comments. There comes a point at least for me when the hit is in the taking part and not the winning. And in my research, which matches my experience it seems that our dopamine levels increase to levels comparable to those produced in the brain by some Class A drugs, literally blocking out the rational decision making parts of the brain. That’s why it’s so hard to beat it as the brain seems to remember these chemical highs for a long time and overpowers our willpower.
I don't think everyone is programmed to become a gambler. I can't follow the patterns in slot games or a game of bingo at all and while I don't ever gamble in any form now if I ever had a go on the fruit machines I got bored pretty quickly while Mr L would have stood there for hours.
I do think more people are falling into a deliberate trap in being encouraged to try it by a cynical industry who knows a percentage will turn into problem gamblers when pre-dereg it just wouldn't have crossed their radar. The fact the industry invests heavily in IT experts to design features into games which ping any amount of chemical bells in the brain speaks for itself. I also consider the percentage of people who develop a problem after having what seems to be the near universal experience of a biggish win on the slots when new to gambling highly suspect.
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