And after playing for a while, your emotional and neurological responses will alter.
Understanding the great range of emotions and the neuroscience behind gambling is vitally important.
It can help you rationalise what you are feeling, and know when you should stop.
In the first example, we will examine a slots game.
These games are, by design, quite repetitive, withgraphics and sounds to stimulate players.
Before the reels spin, your brain releases a shot of dopamine, in anticipation of what may happen.
It creates a level of excitement and motivates you to test yourchances of winning.
Once you press spin, the suspense will build in your body.
Your amygdala, which processes emotions, will become active and trigger your fight or flight response.
If you win, your brain will flood with dopamine, rewarding you for taking the risk and winning.
It is pleasurable, but it can alsoreinforce the risk taking behaviour, and make you want to retry.
Should you lose, you will also get a rush of dopamine, but on a much smaller level.
Should you experience a near miss, yourrewards systemwill activate almost as much as it would if you win.
It is illegal to rig slot machines to make near misses or to rig them in any other way.
After drawing 2 cards in blackjack, you are presented with the opportunity to influence the outcome.
you could hit, stand, double down, split and even surrender in some variants of blackjack.
You have more information about your chances of winning following the initial draw.
This could work in your favour, but it can also lead to some playersmisinterpreting the odds.
But in these games, wins and losses are far more nuanced.
You could get a bad hand and win by pure luck.
Or, you could make the rational decision and still lose.
For instance, mostbasic blackjack strategiestell you to double down on 11.
But let’s say you do that and draw a 5.
The dopamine that you get after winning or achieving a near miss will beckon you to have another go.
After losing, you may feel compelled to test your luck again.
Plus, you have the added incentive oftrying to win your money back.
Another factor will also play into the equation.
How much money you have won or lost in previous rounds.
The altered dopamine regulation and additional factors can play tricks on your brain’s reward system.
Some players may buildcognitive biasesduring their gaming.
These are assumptions that alter their understanding of the mathematical odds of winning, and can produce harmful behaviour.
Playing too long can also tire you out quickly, as you continuously go through the motions.
Addicts have problems controlling their impulses, something that is enhanced by low serotonin activity.
Some people don’t have problems with addiction, and can easily quit while they are ahead.
Or, know when to accept their losses and take a break.
But some people struggle with this.
People with addictive traits, or known prior addictions, areprone to this jot down of behaviour.
But they are not alone.
Studies have also shown that the elderly and young people are also at agreater risk of addiction.
Most players dont have problems with their gaming, but there is a minority who are at risk.
They have proven to be useful to all players, and can definitively prevent people from forming gambling habits.
Mindful and Responsible Practises
We arent saying to constrain yourself from feeling the rollercoaster of emotions.
Setting up win and loss limits, and managing your bankroll is necessary.
But if you do so, be sure to also set a target for your losses.
You will quit after you grab lost a certain amount and stick to the plan.
Institutions such asAGAor theNational Council on Problem Gamblingcontinuously research safer gambling practices.
Daniel has been writing about casinos and sports betting since 2021.
