How to regain control on gambling and its irresistible lure

Cambridge: Many people turned to online gambling during the pandemic. And while a large proportion of us are able to gamble recreationally, without serious negative impact.
According to the most recent estimate from the World Health Organisation, from 2016, players’ annual global gambling losses were estimated to total US$400 billion (£295 billion).

Another survey found that the highest rates of problem gambling were in Asia, followed by Australasia and North America, with lower rates in Europe.

Researchers have developed game simulations to measure problem gambling, such as the Iowa Gambling Task and the CANTAB Cambridge Gambling Task. In the latter, which assesses risky decision-making and betting, participants are asked to guess whether a yellow chip is hidden within a blue or red box, with the ratios of blue and red boxes changing over time. They can then decide how many of their points to bet on their decision.

If they win, they add the points to their total, but if they lose, those points are lost. They are told to be careful not to go “bankrupt” – losing all their points. This task may be able to detect those gamblers who are “at risk” of developing a gambling disorder.

Studies have shown that important regions associated with risky decision-making include the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (involved in decision-making, memory and emotion regulation); orbital frontal cortex (which helps the body respond to emotions); and insula (which regulates the autonomic nervous system). Problem gamblers may therefore have increased activity in these areas.
Tackling gambing addiction

Gamblers would also be wise to avoid seeing gambling as a way to make money, stop bottling up their worries about gambling habits and avoid taking out credit cards to pay for the habit.