It is very possible that you have considered betting real money on an event in hopes of earning even more money in the end. This is an example of “gambling,” or putting money into play in hopes of earning more effortlessly. However, this is the main mistake of people who end up in debt from gambling. The intention of winning by only imagining the possibility of winning.

The issue with gambling addiction is that it is very hard to stop because of the possibility that eventually you can hit the jackpot, win back all your losses, and earn money. Theoretically, this can happen, but it rarely does. Not only this hope, but the excitement of playing with hard-earned money makes this a real addiction for some people. Sometimes, this can get to the point where people will start eating less to gamble, sell their house to gamble, or even isolate themselves from their families to gamble.

This addiction is fueled by the dopamine surge of gambling nature. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for feelings of pleasure. This can happen in any happy situation, from smelling something tasty being baked in the oven to consuming recreational drugs, all these feelings of pleasure are caused by dopamine being released into the brain. 

Because of the pleasure of gambling, people will know deep down that they have a gambling addiction, yet try to lie to themselves to convince them that it is no problem. This leads to compulsive gambling and the scary possibility of gambling your life away. 

From the viewpoint of a person who cannot legally gamble yet, this would not seem like an addictive activity, but when the person is exposed to it, the possibility of earning all losses back is what creates gambling addicts. 

This addiction is even stronger when the possibility of winning can be influenced by skill. In most games, such as roulette or slots, the chance of winning is pure luck. But in games such as poker, the player might think that their skill is superior to that of players who play at a casino. Unfortunately for these overenthusiastic players, every way of effortlessly earning money has been thought of, so whatever special strategy they just thought of to win will most likely result in a loss. 

In order to stop a gambling addiction, the most important step is to realize that it is impossible to win losses back. Do not try to earn money back, because it will not be successful. The next step is to identify that there is a gambling addiction present. Most people will say that they are capable of “stopping whenever they want” to try and convince themselves that gambling their life away is normal. This is by no means normal, and as soon as gambling affects your life, you should stop.

Another solution many casinos offer is to ban someone from a casino. Casinos care about earning money, but also want a good reputation. Because of this, they can ban someone who willingly wants to be banned, so that they comply with gambling safety advice.