Inside the brain of a gambling addict - BBC News

What happens inside the brain of a gambling addict when they make a bet - and can the secret to their addiction be found within the brain itself? BBC Panorama filmed a unique experiment designed to find out. Wendy Bendel's partner killed himself after struggling with a 20-year gambling addiction. In a confession he wrote for Wendy he singled out the high-stakes, high-frequency fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) found in bookmakers across the UK. These machines offer gamblers a choice of games, and combine potentially high stakes with the chance of a win every 20 seconds.
Join Wendy on tonight's Panorama, as she seeks to find out why these machines can be so addictive, and are so controversial.
Panorama - Why are Gambling Machines Addictive? is broadcast on BBC One on Monday 12 September at 20:30.

[bendover]

Gambling is one of those strange games where the only winning move is not to play

[pianopera]

"Responsible gambling". Tell that to the thousands of addicts who are suicidal because they can't stop, who can't step out of that vicious circle even if they can't pay their bills.

[powellsmp]

gamblers gamble to gamble, not to win money to keep .

[Altexiin]

The number one gambling addiction fact that you should know is that gambling is NOT just a financial problem. Some problem gamblers do not have financial issues even though they may lose money gambling. Gambling is an emotional issue where a person feels the need to gamble to alleviate stress or because they feel a certain type of euphoria when they gamble. Gambling is an obsession that can take over your life if you let it go too far, this can lead to the loss of relationships, jobs, and, yes, finances, but the issue behind compulsive gambling is not financial, it is emotional.

[savagedameron]

The worst feeling is when you’re out of money walking to your car realizing that you know you fucked up and think about all the other things you could’ve bought/done and still knowing deep down you’ll be back. Or you’ll have a good amount of money on you in a store and you choose not to spend it on things that you like because you’d rather gamble.

I quit gambling but I remember one day having 2k on me in a store and deciding not to spend 500-600$ on new nice stuff for my house because in my head “I didn’t have the money” but when I went to the casino that night I gambled away all of it without a second thought till I saw my wallet was empty and I walked out the doors.

[vividist]

as an addict i can confirm that winning and the anticipation of winning is indeed very similar

[ThatGuy-dybl]

I gamble Because of rush I get out of it, You just have to divert your interest and need to find new Things in life, I have lost $35, 000 till now due to my Black Jack and Poker addiction! Starting from now I m quiting gambling, Wish me luck.

[Thizz]

I’ve lost 2k in a week in sports betting. Win some, lose more. It’s a scam.

[sevillachea]

i almost borrowed money from my family to fund my gambling habit. am glad i never crossed that line and fortunately that was the catalyst to stop. to anybody struggling right now, you can overcome it.

[abvegas]

As the daughter of a professional poker player, I can tell you that gambling addictions are so serious and incredibly difficult to work on. Especially in a game like poker where the person can be completely convinced bc of their skill level they are winning more than they lose. My dad has been absent most of my life bc he’s been stuck at a poker table, having more than $3mil in reported tournament wins yet he’s homeless today and he can’t seem to build himself back up bc he’s pouring all of his money into the casino. There was never any sort of stability during my childhood it was one day the power is shut off and the next day he’s buying a brand new Porsche. It’s incredibly dysfunctional

[jage]

Responsible gambling = never start. Class Dismissed

[Ninnoa]

I have spent 15 intese years in the gambling circles of various forms of gambling, and i never met one gambler who has won money but kept them after winning or spent them on something else other then gambling.

[toastnjam]

I cured (yes cured) my gambling addiction by replacing it with another and much cheaper addiction, video games. I bought a PlayStation One and after several months of constant playing I started to taper off and my desire to gamble was gone. It's been almost 25 years and I haven't gambled since and have zero interest to do so again.

[araoghlian]

Who's watching this after blowing 2k in on night?

[pinoyako]

its depressing when you lose 500-1k in just a day thinking like i wish i still have the money in my wallet lol

[dbsirius]

If you have no money left, you've lost. Game over.

[kadafilyf]

how to beat the casinos







enjoy the free drinks, the pubs, social atmosphere, nice restaurants and shops. dont gamble

[Guy-qxfn]

$20 that there is more than 5% of people are gambling addicts

[duma]

I started gambling at age 21. I'm now 47 and have been gambling since all those years. I have made lots of money with good jobs and worked crappy jobs as well. I came down to a conclusion money ain't everything but the fun of gambling is and don't care how much money I make, just as long I can make money and still gamble. At 47 years old I'm negative in life from gambling. Never have hit a big jackpot neither.
For all those that are thinking of starting I totally recommend please DON'T start. It's a shi.tty dark side world.

[supernightslash]

There's no such thing as responsible gambling.

The moment you start, you're with a very high potential of throwing away money. Casinos are DESIGNED to make sure you don't win as much as possible, how the hell do you think they stay afloat?