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.

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Image Sources 1,2,3

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