Gambling is a fun, harmless activity that most people do occasionally, whether it’s buying a lottery ticket, playing card or board games with friends, or placing a bet on a sporting event. However, if gambling becomes your main source of entertainment or is used to cope with negative emotions, it can lead to serious harm. This article will explore the science behind gambling, what to look out for, and how to help someone you know with a problem.
While many people gamble for recreational reasons, a small proportion of people develop compulsive gambling and other problem behaviours. Compulsive gambling can affect your health, relationships and finances. It can also cause depression, anxiety and substance misuse. These problems can be difficult to overcome, but you can get help.
Often, the most harmful forms of gambling are those that involve money or valuable objects. These include casino games and poker, horse racing and sports wagering apps. These are often designed to be addictive and entice you to spend more time than you intended to, or even lose all of your money. Moreover, they often have a high level of accessibility and low barriers to entry. Just like the common advice to clear sweets from your home if you want to reduce sugar intake, proximity to gambling venues and easy access to these types of products can increase your risk for problem gambling.
There are several key components that make gambling so addictive, including the illusion of control, aversion to loss, and the random ratios. The random ratios are the odds of winning and losing in a particular game or circumstance. The odds are determined by mathematics and a combination of cognitive and motivational biases.
The illusion of control is the tendency to overestimate the relationship between your actions and some uncontrollable outcome. This effect can be caused by a range of factors, from environmental to psychological. For example, gambling machines are often located near food counters and are often free from clocks, so you can easily spend a long time at the casino without realising it. Additionally, gambling often triggers the brain’s release of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter, which can mask the pain of a loss.
Avoiding high-risk situations is the best way to prevent gambling harm. This includes not using credit cards, avoiding carrying large sums of cash and limiting the use of social media betting apps. It’s also important to balance gambling with other activities and to stop when you set a time limit, whether you’re winning or losing.
Lastly, never chase your losses, as this will almost always result in further losses. The best strategy is to start with a fixed amount of money that you’re willing to lose and only play until you’ve exhausted it. This will protect you from the ‘gambler’s fallacy’, which is the belief that you are due a win and can recoup your losses if you keep playing. This is almost always a recipe for Bet Regret.
