Written by: Brian Clark, BSN, MSNA
Last Updated: September 28, 2016

1. Understanding Gambling Win Loss Statement
2. Understanding Gambling Spreads
3. Understanding Gambling Addiction
4. Understanding Joy Gambling
5. Understanding Gambling Addictions

Gambling is a popular pastime here in Australia and is a deep part of the Aussie culture. From sports betting to playing pokies in the grand halls of a casino most everyone has taken a chance on lady luck. However, some local Australians can over indulge in the bright lights of the casino world. This can lead to serious financial problems, stress, and even loss of control. To understand why this occurs extensive research has been done to better navigate the human brain and how it can become addicted to gambling. Through this knowledge, advanced steps can be taken to better treat those who suffer from perpetual gambling addiction.

Understanding 'gambling harms' and where to seek support. Gambling addiction, like any dependency, can worsen in times of stress. Data commissioned by the regulator the Gambling Commission showed virtual online betting in Great Britain went up 88% between March 2019 and the month lockdown started, March 2020.

Compulsive gambling is the inability to control ones desire to gamble regardless of serious personal consequences and harm. Besides sending individuals into a spiral of depression, it can also damage interpersonal relationships and lead to serious financial troubles.

Gambling As A Behavioral Addiction

It wasn’t until 2013 that compulsive gambling was labeled as a behavioral addiction. This placed gambling addiction in the same category of disorders as substance abuse. The reason for this was due to recent neuroscience research that better outlined the underlying cause. This research showed those addicted to gambling shared remarkable similarities to those with drug addiction with relation to changes in their brain function and behavior.

Just as with drug addiction, gambling addicts show features of tolerance and withdrawal. They also present with having gambling become a major interference in their life even after multiple attempts to reduce their gambling frequency or stop all together. Those who try to stop will often suffer from insomnia, irritability, agitation, and uneasiness. Some of the most unambiguous similarities between drug addiction and gambling addiction comes with constant cravings, blunted response to certain stimuli, and accentuated highs. Problem gamblers will become dull to small bets or winnings and will eventually progress to where they require bigger bets and riskier options to feel the same “high” or satisfaction when playing. This is when the addiction can become consuming.

Understanding Gambling Addiction with Operant Behaviorism by hiumeichow001 4 Comments From the Clinical Perspective of Instrumental Learning we have learned about the brain reinforcement system and its key role in our survival instinct. Understanding Joy enters the mind of a 57 year old woman whose gambling addiction has overcome her sense of morality and driven her to embezzle over $700,000 during a seven year period from two employers. As she awaits sentencing for her crime, she struggles to explain her disease to her children, to the world and to understand it herself. National experts on-screen. Understanding Gambling Addiction with Operant Behaviorism Non-gamblers might wonder what is so appealing about penny-falls, slot machines, horse racing, casinos, sports betting, the pools, the lottery, roulette or blackjack?

What should also be recognized is compulsive gambling is hereditary just like other behavioral addictions. There is substantial cross over from one behavioral addition to another. For example, if a parent had an addiction to alcohol their child is at an increased risk for developing a gambling addiction.

Brain Imaging & Neurochemical Testing

One of the most influencial reasons as to why gambling was designated a behavioral addiction is through the results of brain imaging and neurochemical testing. Gambling has shown to activate the ventral striatum, a reward system in the brain, by flooding its receptors with dopamine. If the practice of gambling is continued on a regular basis the reward system adjusts to the high level of dopamine produced by downregulating the dopamine receptors, meaning players must make higher bets, take on more risk, and play more often to achieve the same “high.”

This disruption of the reward system can take a relatively permanent effect if not appropriately addressed and treated, meaning problem gamblers can often relapse even after years of abstinence. The behavior can alter the circuitry of the brain related to memory and learning, resulting in a strong association between the pleasure zone and the circumstances in which it was stimulated. Because of these breakthroughs in understanding gambling addiction many of the current treatments for gambling addiction focus on training the brain to unlearn these memories and associations.

Other studies have also shown that gambling has a profound effect on impulse control located in the prefrontal cortex. This particularly makes it more difficult for gamblers to resist the urge even against their better judgment. If there are already deficiencies in the function of the prefrontal cortex then the player is at even greater risk for developing an addiction. This is in large part why adolescents are more likely to become addicted to gambling. Generally the prefrontal cortex of humans does not become fully developed until their late twenties.

While there is no specific gene marker recognized as making someone more susceptible to gambling addiction there is evidence that risk for addiction is hereditary. Research has shown that up to 60% of someone’s risk for addiction is due to a variety of genetic factors derived from the parents. Through the compounding of at risk genes an individual can be highly vulnerable to gambling addiction.

Other brain imaging studies have revealed that when a person who is already addicted to gambling, as with other behavioral addictions, is shown brief images or videos related to gambling there is a significant change of blood to certain parts of the brain. The abrupt increase and then drop off of dopamine in the ventral striatum is what makes a behavior addictive. The more diminished the general homeostasis of the ventral striatum and the faster and more brief its spikes in dopamine play a large role in someone’s risk for addiction and progress of the disease.

Other variables that increase an individual’s likelihood of gambling addition include environmental factors such as stress. These have the ability to disrupt brain circuitry even more making an individual more likely to develop an addiction. The withdrawal of gambling online is much attributed to a neurotransmitter that is associated with stress called corticotropin-release factor. This neurotransmitter heavily affects the amygdala region of the brain, which is associated with feelings of fear, anxiety, and depression.

Fortunately, there is the possibility of recovery. The brain has the ability to heal itself and regain a homestatic balance without the need to gamble. With the correct behavioral conditional, counseling, and treatment problem gamblers can keep their desire to gamble at bay.

Symptoms of Gambling Addiction

• Those with an addiction spend an unusual amount of time thinking about gambling.
• Problem gamblers will slowly need to increase their betting amounts in order to continually feel the “high” associated with the game.
• Problem gamblers will often chase their losses with larger and larger bets even when they know the odds to win are not in their favor.
• Refraining from gambling will often cause addicts feelings of restlessness or irritability.
• Those with an addiction will often use gambling as a way to escape anxiety or depression.
• Problem gamblers will often lie about the quantity of time and money they spend gambling.
• Those with an addiction often will let gambling interfere with the rest of their life. This includes the loss of relationships, jobs, and education.
• Problem gamblers sometimes performing crimes in order to obtain money for gambling.
• Problem gamblers will often make several attempts to limit their time gambling or quit completely but later find themselves playing in excess just as before.

Australian Gambling Addiction Statistics

• Approximately 2% or 500,000 Australians are in the at risk or problem gambler category. Out of these individuals 115,000 are in the problem gambler category and another 280,000 in the ‘moderate risk’ category.
• The average Australian loses around $1,279 a year gambling. Problem gamblers on the other hand lose approximately $21,000 a year. This means problem gamblers contribute approximately 40% of all revenue generated through gambling in Australia.
• The gambling addiction of 1 person negatively affects between 5 to 10 other individuals yet only 15% of problem gamblers seek any form of help.
• The social cost of problem gambling is estimated to be around 4.7 billion AUD a year.
• Around 600,000 Australians play pokies at least once a week and out of those 95,000 qualify as problem gamblers. That means one in six Australians who play pokies regularly has a serious addiction.
• Young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 spend more time playing pokies than any other age group and are at the most risk for developing an addiction.
• Three quarters of all problem gamblers in Australia prefer to play pokies as their games of choice. It is even higher for women. 9 out 10 women who have an addiction to gambling prefer playing pokies.
• Problem gamblers in Australia are six times more likely to be divorced and are four times more likely to have a problem with smoking and/or drinking alcohol.
• Problem gambler’s children are ten times more likely to become problem gamblers themselves later in life compared to the average Australian.

Treatments for Problem Gamblers

The treatment for gambling addiction starts with an individual recognizing they have a problem. For an individual to recognize they have a problem with gambling and to seek help they often require the assistance of friends or family. Once this occurs there are a few treatment options available that can help an individual control their habit.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most commonly implemented form of psychotherapy used to treat mental disorder. It is a type of talk therapy that primarily focuses on helping the patient develop personal coping strategies. Because CBT is a “problem focused” and “action oriented” type of treatment, it helps identify specific problems related to the patient’s disorder followed by helping to identify effective goals and strategies to decrease the symptoms and behaviors of the disorder.

The therapist will generally begin by exploring the relationships between a person’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. CBT allows the therapist to explore what thought patterns have been developed by the patient that cause unhealthy emotions and ultimately self-destructive behaviors.

After recognizing these negative thought patterns and how they hinder constructive behavior by the patient, the therapist can then map out a plan to condition the brain and reward it for healthy behaviors. This often results in changing the patient’s basic outlook on how to approach challenges or obstacles in life and make better decisions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy allows the patient to replace negative or inaccurate thoughts with more realistic and confident thoughts based upon prior experience. This helps patients face daily tasks and challenges more confidently and to respond in an effective manner. During this form of treatment patients are also regularly requested to keep a journal. CBT has been shown to be effective for the treatment of a variety of mental illnesses and has even shown to improve brain function.

The basis for cognitive behavior therapy is that maladaptive behaviors and thought distortions largely contribute to the development and the sustaining of psychological disorders. The symptoms of a psychological disorder can then be reduced by teaching new skills related to information-processing and other coping mechanisms.

Cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven to be successful on it’s own in treating less severe forms of mental disorder without the need of psychotropic medications. It is also the first line treatment for children and adolescence when treating psychological disorders.

Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the idea that changing maladaptive thinking leads to change in a patient’s affect and behavior. Now it is understood that CBT is better defined as changing a patient’s relationship to the maladaptive thinking rather than the changing the thinking itself. CBT fundamentally looks at an individual as a whole and then decides what needs to be fixed rather than focusing on diagnosing a patient with a specific disease.

Cognitive behavioral therapy using the Kanfer and Saslow steps:

First: Identifying critical behaviors (addiction to specific games such as pokies, keno, or lotto)

Second: Evaluate and decide if the critical behaviors are either deficits or excesses

Third: Evaluate the regularity, duration, and intensity of each critical behavior

Fourth: If a deficit exists, try and increase the behavior. If an excess exists, try and reduce the behavior.

There is another set of steps that outlines the six phases of cognitive behavioral therapy:

• patient assessment
• reconceptualization
• skills acquisition
• skills consolidation and applied training
• generalization and maintencance
• post-treatment assessment and treatment follow-up

Support Groups

Not surprisingly successful treatment often includes widely available resources such as gambling addiction hotlines, Gamblers Anonymous, self-help programs, and peer support groups. For friends and family of problem gamblers there is also a support group called Gam-Anon.

Gamblers Anonymous (GA)

Gamblers Anonymous is a safe and confidential support group led by an experienced gambling counselor. They are a self-help program that focuses on gambling abstinence using a 12 step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. Their group meetings can be found throughout Australia at different times during the week. Generally meetings are held at church halls, public buildings, or local community centers. Each group meeting lasts approximately 1.5 hours.

Many people have had success using the techniques and companionship found at Gamblers Anonymous. The program helps those suffering from gambling addiction to find and identify with others who struggle with the same vices. It also lets people discuss what techniques have worked for them in gaining control of their gambling addiction. Gamblers Anonymous does not require any payment.

Gamblers Anonymous helps those with an addiction realize that they don’t need to hide their gambling habit. That there are others who have the same tendencies to play that they do. This is an important step in being honest with oneself and making progress in the resolution of the behavior. Sharing experiences with others who have been through similar circumstances and seeing success by their peers can also give a sense of hope. It helps modify the individual’s thinking in how they view their potential to control their behavior.

While Gamblers Anonymous is a great support group for those who are problem gamblers it is still not for everyone. There is an expectation from group members to maintain complete abstinence from participating in any form of gambling or playing for chance. This also includes refraining from playing raffles, bingo, or even flipping coins.

The organization of Gamblers Anonymous views problem gambling as a progressive illness that can be controlled but not cured. Individuals with compulsory gambling create a mental image of a mountain of insolvable problems. Out of all the problems associated with problem gambling, the financial loss is usually one of the easiest to fix. Once an individual has control of their gambling and is able to start paying back debts the financial stress in regularly diminished. However, some problems that come with compulsory gambling are often much longer lasting. These include the loss of relationships, employment, and even legal troubles. The most difficult problem generally faced by problem gamblers is recovering from character changes within themselves. This is one of the aspects Gamblers Anonymous attempts to have its members tackle immediately and continue to work on throughout their lives.

Understanding Gambling Win Loss Statement

As mentioned before Gamblers Anonymous expects its members to maintain complete abstinence from any form of gambling or playing any game of chance. If a person has a compulsive gambling habit to one type of game or bets but participates in other forms of gambling without issue, they must still be willing to give them all up. As a result this support group is not for everyone looking for help.

In the past most of the addiction materials written for Gamblers Anonymous participants was written by men for men. This often left women feeling discouraged that participated within the group. Today the group has become much more sensitive to the needs of their female participants and has worked heavily to make sure they receive the same quality of attention and care. Achieving the goal of serving both the female and male community members as best as possible has been a priority of Gamblers Anonymous for close to two decades.

If an individual has other concurrent psychiatric disorders they should first be evaluated by a medical specialist who understands their condition and can best lay out a treatment plan. This is generally a concern if a psychiatric disorder preceded the development of a compulsive gambling problem.

Meetings generally have anywhere between 5 to 30 participants. Those coming for the first time should be there somewhere between 15 to 20 minutes early before the meeting begins. This will allow new people joining the group to meet a couple of the other participants before everyone has arrived and the meeting has begun. Also the meeting secretary is often there early and will have a chance to orient new members. During this time a new member will likely received a brief orientation regarding the meeting format and the associated literature. New members are able to listen in the group and are will be given an opportunity speak or share with the group if they so desire. The new member will be given 20 questions, and following their response they are welcome to join the group. Don’t worry if you answer yes to some of the questions. Most problem gamblers answer yes to seven or more questions upon arrival.

Casino and Bookmaker Help

If an individual doesn’t want to completely stop gambling as is required with Gamblers Anonymous there are other options. These options generally require some oversight by a family member, loved one, or councilor. Casinos and bookmakers will offer different options for problem gamblers to gain a greater level of control over their spending and time spent at the casino. These are limits that the gamblers can place on themselves during a time when they feel that they are in control.

One of the ways problem gamblers can gain control over their spending is by setting deposit limits at the casinos or with the bookmakers. This will ensure that the specific casino does not allow the gambler to spend more than a predetermined amount of money at their establishment in a given period of time.

Self exclusion is another way to gain a certain level of control over gambling addiction. This is where a player can opt to have a cooling off period where they are not allowed to participate at the casino and they will not send you promotional materials.

While these options can be helpful they are not true solutions to problem gambling. These can only help if the individual’s gambling options are limited, otherwise multiple casinos and online operators will have to be notified. Considering the fact that there are hundreds of online casinos, setting limits at each one would be a monumental task.

This guide is aimed primarily at people who have never bet on sports before, and know very little about what’s involved. It contains all the information needed to get started, with everything explained in a manner that’s very easy to follow. Even those who already have some experience of betting on sports may find the guide useful, as it’s very comprehensive with a lot of helpful advice.

There are a few different parts to this guide. The first part features a number of articles that are all about the basics of sports betting. These cover topics such as the mechanics of sports betting, how to place wagers, and the roles of probability and odds. The next part contains some advice for when you first start betting, and includes some useful resources for beginners. There’s a glossary of sports betting terms, and an FAQ. Finally, there’s a collection of articles explaining all about the various types of bets and the different forms of betting.

Everything that’s included in this beginner’s guide to sports betting is listed below. If you’re a complete novice then we’d recommend reading through everything in order, but you can skip to anything that is of particular interest if you prefer. Also on this page is some additional information about some other sports betting sections on our website. These are useful if you want to expand your knowledge and improve your betting skills, and there’s some advice for betting online as well.

Sports Betting Explained: The Basics

Benefits of Sports Betting

Understanding Gambling Spreads

Sports betting is one of the more popular forms of gambling, because it offers a few advantages over many of the alternatives. In this article we look at its benefits when compared to playing casino games or playing poker, and also some of the other reasons why you might want to try betting on sports.

Mechanics of Sports Betting

Before you should even consider risking your own money, you should really understand the basic mechanics of how sports betting works. This article will teach you exactly what you need to know in order to start betting your money, including the three main components that make up a sports wager.

How to Place Sports Bets

Once you know how sports betting works, you can then think about placing some bets. In this article we explain what’s involved in the process, and the various methods you can use. Telephone betting, bookmaker shops, casino sportsbooks, and online gambling sites are all covered.

Understanding Odds

Odds are an integral part of sports betting, so you really need to understand them. This article does exactly that by explaining what they are and how they work, as well as also looking at their different formats. There is a guide to the math involved in calculating potential payouts when figuring out your returns.

How Bookmakers Make Money

Bookmakers don’t just make money by accident. They use specific techniques to ensure that they (usually at least) make a profit from every betting market that they offer. You need to be aware of these techniques, as they are the reason why bookmakers have the advantage over their customers.

Probability and Value

The concept of value and how it relates to probability is vital knowledge if you are to stand any chance of success when betting on sports. This article explains what you need to know in detail, and will give you a fundamental understanding of what it takes to identify good betting opportunities.

Tips, Advice and Useful Resources

The next two articles contain tips for what to do, and what not to do, when you first start betting. You should follow the advice featured in these articles from the moment you start betting. It will help you get into good habits, and greatly improve your chances of making money in the long run.

Top Tips for Beginners

There is little point in trying to become an expert on sports betting as soon as you start out. It can be hard enough trying to understand how everything works. As a beginner, it’s important to focus primarily on just the basics. There are a few simple tips that are worth following though, and we’ve listed them all in this article.

MORE Mistakes to Avoid

It’s natural to make mistakes as a beginner to sports betting, and you shouldn’t worry too much if you do. They are part of the learning process. With that being said, there are a few common mistakes that are actually relatively easy to avoid. This article provides some advice on how not to fall into the same traps that so many beginners do.

We’ve also provided two additional resources which contain very useful information for beginners.

Sports Betting FAQ

There are several questions that we hear all the time from sports betting beginners looking for advice on getting started. We’ve compiled a list of the most common ones, and provided detailed answers to them in our FAQ. The following are some examples of the questions we answer.

• What Is The Best Sport To Bet On?
• What Is A Value Bet?
• How Much Should I Stake?
• Should I Pay For Tips

The answers to these questions, and more, can all be found on the following page.

Sports Betting Glossary

There are times when it can feel like sports betting has its own language, and this can make things very confusing for a beginner. Our comprehensive glossary can clear up any confusion, as it explains all the jargon and technical terms you are likely to encounter when betting on sports.

It’s not necessary to learn all the words and phrases contained in this glossary at this stage, but you might want to bookmark it to refer to any time you come across a term you don’t understand.

Types of Bets and Different Forms of Betting

Types of Bets

The following articles will teach you all about the different wagers you can place on sports events. You probably won’t want to use all of these when you first start betting, but it’s still advisable to understand all the available options and how they work.

The first of these articles contains a brief overview of each type of bet, and you should read this one as a minimum. The rest of the articles explain each bet in more detail, with working examples. You can read them now, or refer to them at a later date when you are ready to start experimenting with different wagers.

Forms of Betting

There are a few alternative forms of sports betting that provide different ways to bet on sports events. We advise familiarizing yourself with these, even if you don’t have any plans to get involved with them right now. It’s always useful to consider other ways of making money from your sports knowledge

Before You Start: Information You Should Know

For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that betting on sports makes watching them less enjoyable. This is perhaps because they are under the impression that it means taking things too seriously, and worrying about things like statistics and form rather than simply relaxing and watching a game.

Let us assure you that this is nonsense. You certainly can choose to take your betting seriously, and it may affect the way that you watch sports events, but it really doesn’t take the fun out of things. It’s quite the opposite in fact. In our view at least, placing wagers on events makes watching them even more enjoyable. It adds to the excitement, as it means there’s always something or someone to cheer for.

It’s not essential to learn all about the strategy involved in sports betting, and indeed the vast majority of people who bet don’t. They simply enjoy putting their sports knowledge to the test, and giving themselves the opportunity to win some money. We do recommend learning at least the basics of what to do, but they are all that’s needed if you just want to have some fun and place the occasional wagers on your favorite sports.

As fun as sports betting can be, it’s important to recognize the fact that it does involve risk. It doesn’t matter how much you know about sports, you’re never going to be able to predict the outcome of events with 100% accuracy. Even if you mostly back big favorites, there’s still going to be the occasional upset where things don’t turn out as expected.

Risk is a part of any form of gambling, so don’t let this put you off betting on sports. It’s just that you need to be prepared for the possibility of losing money. Most people do lose money overall, and there’s a good chance that you will too. This is why you must gamble responsibly. You should set a budget to bet with, and only ever use money that you can afford to lose.

Understanding Gambling Addiction

Even though most people lose money through sports betting, this doesn’t mean that you have to. The bookmakers do have an advantage because they set the odds, but their advantage is not impossible to overcome. It’s not like playing casino games where there is a house edge that cannot be beaten. There’s still some luck involved of course, but there is no reason at all why you can’t take from the bookmakers if you know what you’re doing.

If you plan on taking your betting seriously, and are aiming to make consistent profits, then you need to go a step or two further than just understanding the basics. Success takes hard work and commitment, and there’s a lot to learn, but with enough knowledge and the right approach you can be a winner. The following two sections of our sports betting guide can help you to achieve your goals.

Understanding Joy Gambling

Sports Betting Online

Understanding Gambling Addictions

The information in this beginner’s guide is all relevant regardless of how you actually choose to place your bets. The advice it contains applies regardless of whether you bet over the phone, in a bookmakers shop, or with a casino sportsbook. Seeing as the most popular way to bet these days is over the internet, however, we’ve also produced a section dedicated to betting online. Check out our page that discusses both methods.

This section covers each of the following topics, and also includes a step by step guide to joining a sports betting site and placing wagers.

• Advantages of Betting Online
• Choosing Where to Bet
• Getting Started with Online Sports Betting
• Bonuses & Rewards
• Using Multiple Sites

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, we also recommend the top sports betting sites in several different categories. We’ll help you to find the very best sites that are the most suitable for any personal preferences or requirements you may have. Each one of our recommendations is reliable and trustworthy, so you can be sure of a safe betting experience.