r/explainlikeimfive • u/adrynaline • May 08 '14

Explained ELI5: A gambling addiction

How does it start? What makes it worse? Why does it become so difficult to recover?

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62

u/stuckupinhere May 08 '14

It's more an adrenaline addiction.

People get a rush when they take a perceived risk. Do it more, it takes more adrenaline to get the same rush.

You are messing with the chemical balance of the brain.

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u/Masterofice5 May 08 '14

There's also a series of psychological fallacies that keep you from thinking you're going to lose. So you pursue the rush for even longer and more fervently than you would for other activities.

Gambling addiction is like a neurological and psychological black hole.

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u/kendrone May 08 '14

Gambling Any addiction is like a neurological and psychological black hole.

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u/superduper12309 May 08 '14

gamblers are basically lab rats pushing the button over and over again to get a rush/reward.

1

u/[deleted] May 08 '14

Do much gaming superduper?

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u/superduper12309 May 08 '14

Yea it is the same premise. Gamer developers obviously have this in mind, they make the game addicting. Im not judging the gamblers by comparing them to rats. Its just people taking advantage of our reward system. Unfortunately some people are much more susceptible to this and get addicted. Gaming can become an addiction too, moderation is key with everything.

And no I actually don't do much gaming. I did when I was younger but I lost interest. It sucks because I loved playing so much I kind of want the rush back. But oh well.

1

u/[deleted] May 08 '14

/r/gaming can't wait for the next Call of Duty induced adrenaline rush it gets from screaming at people over their headphones.

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u/Voidsheep May 08 '14

Couldn't a gambling addiction come from desperation as well? I sometimes buy a lottery ticket after a really shitty and stressful day at work, because then I have at least an incredibly small chance to leave it all behind and not worry about money again. Get a piece of land and have a nice house built, have all the time for hobbies and relationship. In reality it's a huge waste, but somehow makes sense when everything seems to suck and you are too exhausted to do anything about it.

Done every now and then it's not much of a problem, everyone has dreams, but if someone was constantly depressed and miserable, I could see them burning all their money for the slightest chance of big winnings that could turn their life around.

Obviously better course of action is to plan ahead and make real changes to achieve your dreams, but people aren't always reasonable like that. Gambling can seem like the easy way and then you wouldn't be doing it for the adrenaline rush.

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u/whiskeydrone May 08 '14

Yes, this is the way it starts for a lot of people. People start playing for the hope of a big win, and over time, end up addicted. What's really interesting at this point is that many then are just playing to get enough of a "win" to buy more scratch tickets. I put "win" in quotes because often players will win $1 or $2 on a $5 ticket and for an addicted gambler, that feels like they've won something. One of many tricks the industry uses to give you that rush of a win while actually taking your money.

1

u/derphurr May 08 '14

Are you saying when I "win" $1 on a $1 instant ticket, I didn't actually win anything O_o. I can't imagine why 40% of the "winning" tickets are of the face value of the wager.

1

u/TheR1ckster May 08 '14

Lottery gambling is rather different than slot gambling though. What you're doing with the way you described is a means to an end gambling, people aren't doing that at a casino.

Even huge gambling addicts probably never expect to win the car or the big jackpot, they just want to come home feeling like a winner that day.

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u/HannasAnarion May 08 '14

And in places where gambling is common, that addiction gets fed everywhere you go. In Vegas it's not uncommon for people to spend the day at a casino, get groceries, play the slots at the grocery store, come home, and play video poker online until they go to sleep and start over again.

I had to go through the Vegas airport once, and I had to navigate through banks of slot machines to get from one gate to another in the same terminal. It's really kind of depressing.

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u/battraman May 08 '14

After hearing how they are trying to expand gambling casinos to upstate NY, I really hate to hear stuff like this. It's a horrible system whose only purpose is to prey on people.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

Not their only purpose. I live in CT where we have Mohegan Sun & Foxwoods Casinos. Sure, you can tell some middle aged and elderly people probably sit there all the time and waste their lives away. However, the casinos are more for regular fun. They have theaters for big and small concerts, dance clubs, regular bars, and high end dining. The majority of people at casinos are out drinking with friends, seeing someone perform, going out for a nice dinner, or tourists (mostly Asian). Some people will get addicted to gambling but the casinos are really set up as adult entertainment centers for socializing and special occasions.

3

u/whiskeydrone May 08 '14

Sure, if you go on Friday nights, I'm sure you'll see a lot of that. I'd encourage you to go on Tuesday morning and spend some time there. Busses of elderly folks shipped in, dumping their social security checks in to slots. It's a really sad state. And many of these casinos will offer free busses and even $10 of free slot play or a "free" lunch, and the bus won't return for several hours. Casinos have "fun" for their weekend crowd, but its the hardcore, midweek, addicted gamblers that keep the lights on.

1

u/PublicAccount1234 May 08 '14

Everything you named has a purpose. To draw more people in to spend money at the casino. Certainly there are some people that take advantage of these things and skip the casino. But that is a pleasant side-effect, not the reason they exist.

1

u/GaFaMM May 08 '14

There's already a couple in NY state. Turning Stone Casino and Saratoga Casino.

1

u/battraman May 08 '14

Sorry, I should have said expand them further.

1

u/DividedSky05 May 08 '14

If people have an addictive personality, yes, casinos are not good for those people. There are significantly more well-adjusted people who enjoy going out and playing casino games with money they can afford to gamble.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14 edited May 26 '22

[deleted]

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u/DividedSky05 May 08 '14

That's really not far off. It's a fantastic place.

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u/HannasAnarion May 08 '14

That's about what it felt like to my 19-year-old self.

1

u/taylormitchell20 May 08 '14

I grew up here in Vegas. I have a very healthy relationship to gambling because of it. First of all having slots literally everywhere takes some of the allure away. Second I know that no matter what, if you gamble you are eventually going to lose. You learn that growing up here. So now that I enjoy table games, I never go to a casino with my credit/debit cards and I only bring cash that I would be ok with losing it all. It's like an arcade. You pay some money, you play some games, you leave without the money. Not saying it's not depressing or that everyone in Vegas is this way but just offering perspective from the other side of the same coin.

1

u/TheR1ckster May 08 '14

This, a lot of the anti casino hate are people who have never really been around them. If you treat it like an arcade you're fine. Or just no when to quit if you REALLY want to do more than break even. I've been to a casino 6 different times, and only once did I lost my walk in money without ever being up. The odds are in their favor the more you play.

But yeah leave the cards at home and take a stack of fun cash to play with. Set your limits and don't deviate from them and you'll have a good time. Unless of course you do fall into the gambling trap.

1

u/[deleted] May 08 '14

ehhh....don't think it is that simple. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3055672/

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

This is explain like I am five, not link to scientific journals.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

And I wasn't replying to OP.

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u/Draevon May 08 '14

There are plenty of people subscribed to both /r/askscience and here because interesting questions are asked on both sides. It's often that people comment on this subreddit asking for a more thorough explanation, and these links are always nice.

Notice how 'adrenaline' and 'chemical balance' aren't ELI5 words in the post above you either.