Understanding Gambling Addiction

Actually, when you’re in the midst of a gambling addiction, it can feel like anything but understandable.  It feels completely out of control and you just don’t recognise yourself. 

The addictive, compulsive, part of gambling addiction generally creeps up on people.  It might only be when a person realizes that they are lying to loved ones, or they have had to borrow money again this month to get through, that they might start to question whether their gambling is a problem.  Often they will then make a decision to stop gambling – and then find that it isn’t quite so easy.  Well, stopping could be easy, but staying stopped is often a different matter.

Original Liberty Bell Slot Machine from 1894. Photo by Nazox

There is evidence of gambling being around for thousands of years.  But the first  casinos appeared in Italy in the 17th Century with the first mechanical slot machines being developed at the beginning of the 20th Century.  So gambling is nothing new, nor are the harms caused by it. 

But why do we do it anyway?  Why would we risk our money, or something else of value, on just the slight chance that we might get something better in return - when the more likely outcome is that we will lose everything? 

Well, the answer is not simple – but it is understandable.  And actually, it is not just one answer.

Although the reported rates of problem gambling are rising, it is perhaps genuinely surprising that many more of us are not caught in this trap.  Our brains are wired for exactly the type of stimulation that gambling provides.

One of our greatest attributes as humans is our ability to learn – and we do it really well because learning is rewarding.   We have a range of different types of learning:  For example, we can learn facts, such as ‘the capital of France is Paris’, and we can learn how to do things, such as ride a bicycle.   It is easy to see the reward that comes from both these types of learning in terms of satisfaction, status, validation etc.  But there is also something else going on behind the scenes:  Neurologically, we are getting a little hit of dopamine, a neurochemical that makes us feel good – not only when we achieve our aim but also when we are pursuing it. 

The excitement, anticipation, focus and tension all get rewarded with dopamine

You might now be wondering how gambling is so rewarding when it is mostly chance and not about learning anything helpful (In fact we don’t even learn that, overall, we lose and therefore should stop doing it).  But unlike learning a rewarding skill or useful facts, the reward from gambling  operates mostly out of our awareness. Our long term gambling losses are always greater than our gains  - and yet we continue.  So this is not about rational, intellectual judgement.  Our brains have been hi-jacked.  The ‘feel good’ reward from gambling is only partially governed by the occasional ‘win’.  The good feeling mostly comes from the pursuit.  Dopamine rewards our motivation both to keep going and also to come back again after both losses and wins.  The excitement, anticipation, focus, tension all get rewarded with dopamine.  Dopamine feels good so we want it again and again.  We come back to our gambling while at the same time overriding other parts of our brain telling us to “Log off now and go walk the dog”.  Of course the dopamine also hijacks other parts of our brain to now be saying to us things like “Just one more game won’t harm”; “You nearly won last time, you’re getting better at this”; “You’ve spent so much, you must be due for a win this time”.  We  forget that the whole basis of gambling is chance and we start to allow ourselves to think that there is some logic in the pattern of winning – because this allows us to continue. 

The very nature of gambling and its unpredictability draws on a particularly strong form of learning we know as ‘variable reinforcement’.  The anticipation of a win, paired with the initial euphoria of experiencing a win, is a very strong reward.  Although winning the prize might have been the initial goal – and the goal that we continue to state -  most gamblers will tell you that, over time, it is the gambling itself, rather than actually winning, that is so compelling. So, sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t and we never know how many times we have to perform the action (roll the dice, pull the lever, open the loot box) before we gain the reward.   This is ‘variable reinforcement’.  This is also the hardest form of this type of learning to let go of.  Our brains seem to be telling us that the reward is ‘just around the corner’ and that idea is very hard to let go of so gambling can be very hard to stop.

Unfortunately, the psychology of gambling is well known to gambling promoters.  For example, even as adults, we are very susceptible to subtle cues such as flashing lights and happy music when we win on electronic slot machines and silence when we lose.  So when we have a tiny win amongst mostly losses, we just respond to the lights and music and feel like we have won.  So our brains convince us that we are winning even when we are losing!

The aim is to keep us playing as long as possible

Casinos and gambling promoters have a key aim – to keep us playing for as long as possible.  If overall we lose, then, on average, the longer we play, the more money they make from us. 

Video games are often about just creating fun for players, keeping them engaged and enjoyable.  To do this they use the same strategies as the gambling organisations - rewards.  But this time, in the form of ‘microfeedback’ such as instant dings and flashes as the cursor moves over a particular item.  This gives a sense of agency and having an effect in the world which is psychologically very rewarding.  So, in themselves, video games can be addictive and if we’re hooked on those games that incorporate subtle forms of gambling , such as loot boxes, our uncontrolled time spent gaming can easily turn into uncontrolled time spent gambling.

Drugs that hi-jack our brains in this way and cause similar amounts of harm are made illegal.  They are made difficult to get hold of.  And yet gambling is socially sanctioned:   Just think about the National Lottery which is widely promoted and associated with ‘good causes’; The Royal Family attending horse race meetings; betting shops on high streets and electronic poker machines in pubs.  Unlike cocaine or spice, for example, gambling is just an accepted feature of our lives.  In addition to this, the UK government is expected to collect £3.6 billion in tax revenue in 2024/25 from betting and gaming industries so it is hard to imagine strict limitations being placed on the sector.

It is really easy to understand why gambling is so appealing – If you’re bored, it offers excitement; if you’re lonely it gives you company; if you’re anxious, it can numb you.  People talk about getting lost in a trance-like state when playing electronic gaming machines.  They just don’t have to think about any of their worries.  Although, of course it may add to their worries in the long run.  For people who may have some difficulty with impulse control, such as those with ADHD-like tendencies, the risk of becoming addicted to gambling is heightened.

So gambling addiction is maintained by a complex mix of psychological, neurological and social factors.  And none of these suggest anything wrong with the person doing the gambling.  In fact, at earlier times in our evolution, the individual who could keep coming back to a task even though they failed many times would be a highly valued member of the tribe.  But in our current era of mobile smartphones, we can access just about any form of gambling we want cheaply, easily and privately.  We don’t even have to make the effort of leaving our house or risk the embarrassment of facing the clerk at the bookies.  There are no checks and balances and a natural propensity that could have been prized is now left to wreak havoc – in our minds and in our lives.

So, hopefully it is clear that no individual person is to blame for developing a problem with gambling.  In fact, blame - including self-blame -  only serves to put their nervous system on high alert and make them more vulnerable to resorting to addictive behaviours.

However, they are the only person who can take responsibility for finding the motivation  to change and taking the steps needed.  With the support of family, friends and professionals, it is up to them to build the life they actually want.

#gambling #Dopamine #GamblingAddiction #Reward