Gambling for many is just good fun. However, for some, it becomes an addiction because of the need to win big in order to satisfy their craving. According to new research, it is not the thrill of winning, but the thrill of almost winning that creates the gambling problem. The reaction of the brain and its response to “near misses” is correlated with a greater tendency to gambling addiction.
In research of 20 volunteers done by Henry Chase and Luke Clark where the volunteers played a game of gambling, they found out that those who scored highest in gambling addiction severity also showed the most activity in the midbrain area in response to near misses. The two researchers suggest that the increase in the amount of dopamine in the midbrain, because of near misses happening during gambling is the reason why a person is getting addicted to gambling. Thus, it could be possible to find treatments for gambling addiction by reducing the transmission of dopamine in the brain.
Source:Gambling: The almost-winning addiction | The Economist: