Why is Gambling Addictive?
Why is Gambling Addictive?
As an ethnic Chinese, I know a thing or two about gambling addiction - growing up, I was fortunate to have parents responsible enough to wind down the windows before leaving me locked in the car that was parked outside of the casino for a couple of dozen hours a day. I don't really know why Madonna and Angelina Jolie bother travelling all the way to Cambodia to adopt Asian children when they can just go window shopping at their local casino car park.
They really need a multi-ball round to spice this game up
What exactly is it about gambling that makes it as addictive and destructive to the point where it can turn otherwise loving parents into neglectful zombies? Surely it can't just be punishment for that one time when I only managed a B+ in a 1st grade maths test?
The Draw of the Casino
Walk into any casino and you'll notice just how strangely lifeless the place is. The bright lights and opulent decor stand in stark contrast with the solemn, constipated expressions of regret on the faces of its inhabitants. If you're expecting the place to be filled with glamour models smiling gracefully by the craps table like in the adverts you'll have to settle for a bunch of middle aged Chinese folks grimacing painfully as they're now in the unenviable position of needing to explain to their kids why they'll have to settle for community college even though they were just accepted into Harvard. I honestly think the reason you rarely see homeless Asian people is because casinos are open 24/7.
Now while casinos are generally seen as philanthropic homeless shelters, they're actually profit motivated companies. To this end they employ a number of underhanded techniques to keep you throwing your retirement fund at them:
- Lights and fast paced music are bombarded at you, which increase arousal and reduce sensible inhibitions like not accepting that high interest loan from the guy who'll come collecting next week with a baseball bat
- Free drinks are sometimes offered to impair your judgement so not only do you lose a shit tonne of money, you can send embarrassing messages to your ex while you're at it
- Trap you in a windowless, timeless environment to keep you in there for so long, when your gamblers' anonymous sponsor comes looking, they won't be able to recognize you from how much you've aged, to be able to help
- Hand you little rewards - for each $5000 you lose you get a free upsize at the local buffet, only redeemable the next day when, hopefully, you'll bring another $5000 with you
But why are these methods effective?
I got one just like this at home except without the vest and with her mouth open
The Psychology of Pleasure
It turns out our minds (humans, not just Asians) are wired in a way where we get the biggest dopamine hit not from receiving a reward, but from its anticipation. So we experience the greatest pleasure in the pursuit of our desires rather than actually having them satiated. Perhaps the path to greater happiness is to harness the additional pleasure in the pursuit of the pursuit of happiness ad infinitum and presto: I've just unlocked the secret to unlimited happiness without ever needing to achieve a thing.
Additionally, dopamine levels in anticipation of a reward skyrocket when the reward is not guaranteed - As soon as chance is introduced into the equation, we're somehow genetically programmed to appreciate it a lot more. This is why marriages tend to last longer when the wife suffers from a 'headache' from time to time. Ok that last part is bullshit as far as I know, which isn't very far at all, so it could be true.
This is why flipping a 2 sided coin is more fun than flipping a 1 sided coin
Unfortunately, we as a species are genetically drawn to uncertainty in rewards and gambling organizations naturally exploit this predisposition in our psychology. It is not so surprising then, that a lot of us can develop addiction problems. On the bright side, this is scientific evidence that Russian Roulette is more fun with a revolver than a crossbow.
Ah, I see my parents on their way back to the car now, and just in time as I've finished up this article, so you'll catch you guys next time.
If you enjoy this article please Upvote, Resteem and Follow me @trafalgar for more satirical pieces
I used to be director of surveillance for casinos. Another angle with no real facts to back it up. As I would watch people put their coins into a slot machine and stare a that line to see where the reels would stop I would think this phrase by Karl Walenda founder the“Flying Walenda.”, the famous daredevil stuntmasters, best known for walking on wire without safety net.
“Life if on the wire (line), everything else is just waiting”
You watch their faces and can see that for them, their life is on that line. Some really need to win, down to their last dime and the rent is due.
For other I think it comes from comes nature. Many years ago the possibility of death was always present. I think that in the comfort of the world today people feel a sense of lose of that emotion.
WoW! Great post, you gave me a chance to express this for the first time.
thanks for the robust reply
ya i think part of it is chasing a thrill
there's so much on the line
but it can be so destructive
I was thinking after I sent the reply that I forgot to mention that the the article was also true. However, reading some of the comments I could see that a lot of people do not really understand much about casinos. I just always tried to explain everything so that people who like to play could do so without hurting themselves. It is a valid form of entertainment but you must understand it. Climbing mountains is also great entertainment but if you do not educate yourself about it chances are it will turn out well. Again thanks for the post.
One reason, beside the ones you named, is that in gamling you get the reward immediately after the event has finished (and in case you have won) ... and humans enjoy such direct rewards more than for example getting paid once a month (without a direct correlation with what they have achieved).
Actually I like to place different kinds of arbitrage and also value bets, but also wouldn't call that 'gambling'. I may write another article about it when I find enough time ...
yes that's a good point, instant gratification
i certainly would consider arbitrage to be gambling either
For me the term 'gambling' expresses that a certain degree of luck/coincidence is involved. At least in theory arbitrage betting (and in the long run also value betting) is not about being lucky, but instead its pure mathematics ... By this definition it isn't 'gambling'.
I swear I read all the way to the end... but that intro about adopting Asian children made me yell (not just laugh) out loud. (which is kind of a problem as I'm in church right now... no I'm not. I'm a dirty liar. Now I need to go to church).
Nice pinball reference Easter egg in there.
Also, I can tell you from experience that "getting a headache" is never a good thing. Its when these "headaches" occur that I find myself at the casino losing the mortgage money.
Finally, here's a handy tip. Stash a bottle of water under the seat. that way when you parents abandon you, you won't die of thirst and you have a wonderful "bathroom".
hahaha
Also, I can tell you from experience that "getting a headache" is never a good thing. Its when these "headaches" occur that I find myself at the casino losing the mortgage money.'
Or that's where you tell your wife where you've been you naughty boy ;p
So remember when I told my wife you were the world's greatest divorce lawyer...
Thanks for the personal story @trafalgar and the great piece. I actually know where you're coming from (different place, same kind of story).
Love the analysis too. I actually wrote an Econ paper in college once that was all about cognitive biases and heuristics relating to entrepreneruship and startups, and went into rational decision making under uncertainty, asymmetric value functions, prospect theory etc.. Indeed, cognitive neuroscience studies demonstrate that reward anticipation under probabilistic events and risk exhibits non-linear neural responses - suggesting probability distortion at the level of the brain’s reward processing mechanism! Was so excited reading your post I actually dug up this specific reference from that paper many years ago lol
Hsu et al. (2009), Neural Response to Reward Anticipation under Risk is Nonlinear in Probabilities, The Journal of Neuroscience, 29(7), 2231-2237
Also recall reading some relevant research (maybe from HBR?) showing that entrepreneurs are actually WIRED (relating to the above) to be entrepreneurs, while managers are quite the opposite. Anywayy
Thanks again for great content, Steem on!!
thanks for checking it out
sounds pretty interesting, obviously would be far more in depth that my facetious piece
some of the personal accounts here are exaggerated for comedic effect, but the message is the same
I hear you! At any rate, we're definitely all better off staying away from casinos - including my Statistics professor from Europe, who tought us the 'optimized roulette bet' (it's a bet on color and a similar amount bet on the 2nd or 3rd column with the opposite majority color) ha :P
haha ya that way you only lose a lot in the long run :)
hey @trafalgar , I actually wanna direct a question to you, an experienced Steemian, if you could spare the time to answer.
So I have been trying to figure out how the blockchain exactly works in relation to post frequency and payout reductions if you exceed them. I searched a lot and found about the 4 posts / day, but also about them being spaced out 6 hours apart from each other. So, my question is, as long as I post 4 or less posts a day, could they be closer to each other in time (say an hour apart) without affecting payouts? Or do I need to keep the 6 hours? The only guideline posts I found were quite old so I am not sure what the current status quo is, and decided to ask you since I couldn't find a definite answer anywhere.
I posted a 3-part series today and I kept the 6hours apart (although this practice can compromise the exposure of some of the posts throughout the day given the time in different time zones and what not ), and I wonder how things exactly work such as to plan ahea moving forward.
Thanks a lot in advance for your help!!!
I think posting limits were taken out since last hardfork (patch) so you can post as much as you want without suffering reward penalties
That being said, I find that people people who spam the space generally don't do as well as the quality of their posts suffer greatly. Voters may also be more reluctant to upvote people with multiple posts a day. In the end it's about quality content.
I myself post a maximum of 1 post every 2 days, and on average less than that. I figured even though I'm relatively new myself some restraint on my part is fairer for the community at large.
Oooooh I see!! Nice, thanks for letting me know!! Don't think I would have easily found this elsewhere. And I hear you, makes perfect sense, I don't expect to be posting at such high frequency myself, I agree with the quality element for sure. (my post today was broken into 3 distinct pieces given the volume of info and I thought about getting them all up as closely as possible for cohisiveness purposes). At any rate, good looks again I appreciate the help :) :)
Gambling is just amazing, currently i switched it to trading though - similar ;)
i've only been in crypto for like 2 months and my heart can't handle the market movements :p
lol fr tho!
I bet you $10 that this article will receive at least 500 votes by 1 week from today. Come on man, I will give you 2 for 1 odds. I need my fix!!!
hahaha :)
Interesting post :) I once played in Las Vegas lucky me I don't get addicted at least not yet :D always set limits! Doesn't matter what you do, never break that rule! That's the one and only rule to follow so you don't get addicted!
I enjoyed your writing, thanks! following you! keep it up
haha good to hear you set limits and follow them
I mostly just write satirical pieces, hope you enjoy them
I was a btc gambling addict and i quit and became a steemit addict.. you have to replace your addiction with another one, prefferbly something postive, like steem :)
haha it's not gambling if you believe in the underlying product
People want money fast. I have work for bookmakers and online casino's. Clients don't take into account the risk, all they look for is the reward. Another classic version of this is lotto - everyone fantasizes about winning millions overnight.
Horse racing is very popular as is sport. To be honest I do not mind that type of wagering, if it is done in a controlled environment and for fun.
Poker machines on the other hand are a degenerative cancer that will suck more money, the more you play. I have examples here in Australia of people who have lost >$2m in 6 months on machines. All they are is a licence to print money as they are set to take between 7-12% of revenue based on turnover.
yeah that seems very problematic
especially now that youths are getting into online gambling and sports betting
these habits will be hard to break if they're too in grained into our culture
Llamas
good point