Gambling:
It’s a Matter of Degree
Which of these is gambling?
Poker games with friends
Playing poker online for no money
Going to the casino
Church bingo
Fundraiser raffle
Day trading in the stock market
Definition of Gambling:
Risking money or something of
value on the outcome of an
unpredictable event or contest.
Gambling is the norm
• Gambling at some level is the norm
among college students
– 70% in Connecticut sample
– 88% in Minnesota sample
• Most people can gamble without a
problem, but a sizable percentage of
college student gamble excessively and
show signs of a gambling problem
(3.2% - 16.4%).
those are stats…this is real:
Greg Hogan was
• a 19-year-old finance and accounting major at
Lehigh University
• president of his sophomore class
• a cellist in the university orchestra
• an employee in the school chaplain's office
• the son of a Baptist minister ….and
• a student with a gambling problem whose
desperation drove him to bank robbery and jail
Levels of Involvement
No
Gambling
Pathological
Social
Harmful /
Problem
Why do some people get into
trouble with gambling?
3 forces work together:
Person: personality…genetics?
Games: built to compel you to
play more
Environment: it’s everywhere and
seen as harmless fun
like other “addictions”
Brain is affected
Tolerance develops
Loss of control
…but harder to detect
A word about the games
themselves….
What are the most
addictive types of games?
Poker: luck or skill?
Can you make a living at it?
Casino gaming “tricks”
Can you name some?
Internet gambling:
Is illegal
Accelerated rate of
play increases losses
Free practice sites –
let you win more so
you think you’re
skilled…when you
bet with money that
changes
This is your brain on gambling
How brain activity differs when we contemplate financial losses and
gains.
The blue areas at left are those that become deactivated as we make
decisions that will likely cause us to lose money.
The orange and red areas at right show the activation that occurs in the
brain when we believe the odds are in our favor and we’ll win money.
Q: What “built” Las Vegas?
A: the Gambler’s Fallacy
…an example follows…..
Odds of winning $100 in Powerball
… are about 11 thousand to 1…but
what does that mean??
Let’s say there is 1 piece of red popcorn hidden in
this bag of 10,000 pieces of white popcorn
….you’d have a better
chance of reaching in
and grabbing the one
red kernel of popcorn
in this bag than you
would of winning
$100 on a powerball
ticket
….but if your lucky numbers have
“almost” come up in the last five
lottery drawings, you may believe
that your chances of winning are
better than this…yet they are not
other examples of false beliefs?
If you find yourself saying, "I can't quit now,
I'm on a winning streak," Gambler's Fallacy
If you find yourself saying, "I can't quit now,
my luck's about to change," Gambler's
Fallacy
One of our basic needs is for a sense of
control, which we gain by seeking to predict
the future and by attributing cause to events
that occur that are really random
Responsible gambling guidelines
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Set a money limit and stick to it.
Set a time limit and stick to it.
Make it a rule not to gamble on credit.
Consider any losses the cost of recreation
Expect to lose and treat any winnings as a bonus.
Don’t gamble as a way to cope with emotional or physical
pain.
Gambling should not interfere with or substitute for
friends, family, work, or other
worthwhile activities.
Avoid trying to win back lost money.
Become educated about the warning signs of problem
gambling.
Social or Problem?
SOCIAL GAMBLING
Occasional gambler
Sticks to limits of
money to play with
Hopes to win but
expects to lose
Can take it or
leave it
PROBLEM GAMBLING
Frequent, or spends
more time gambling
Plays with $ that is
needed or borrowed
Expects to win; keeps
playing to win back losses
Pre-occupied with
gambling
A Simple Test
1) Have you ever had to LIE to
people important to you about how
much you gambled?
2) Have you ever felt the need to
BET more and more money?
Yes to either may indicate a problem
Oregon Problem Gambling Helpline:
1877mylimit.org