Inside the brain of a gambling addict - BBC News 

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

"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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Responsible gambling = never start. Class Dismissed

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

Somehow adverts of tobacco and alcohol are banned for many years now. The same should happen with gambling, and there should be more regulations on opening new casinos and bookies, as these addiction is probably more destructive and it hits vulnerable people...

I.m glad the first 3-4 times I gambled I lost every time. That nipped that shit in the bud for me.

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

how to beat the casinos enjoy the free drinks, the pubs, social atmosphere, nice restaurants and shops. dont gamble

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

I know most of us here are gamblers, or used to gamble. My advise- Please dont even place free bets if they offer. this addiction is dangerous than drug

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?

Gambling destroy life... I was addicted to gambling.. I was making 1500$ a week n in the end of the week I was asking debt from my friends

All of a sudden I don’t get that buzz from gambling anymore. Was fun but my brain got bored of losing lol

I stop gambling starting April 4, 2024. and I will never come back here again

I just got back from a 4 night stay in Vegas and I was amazed at how many people in the casinos just pour hundreds and hundreds of dollars into the machines.. The most ive ever gambled was $100 and i completely hated it because I lost my money. That being said I can’t put even $1.00 into those machines and watch it take it away from me, I grab a beer and just walk around and see how people just play and that’s enough for me.. If you don’t need to gamble, don’t ever do it because it just might be the worst decision of your life.

I work with a gambling addict at my job who says he won $1,200 after only putting $20 in recently. This same person always tells me how he always loses a ton of money gambling. Does the $1,200 he won outweigh the thousands of dollars he has lost over the years? I don't think so.

I'm married to a gambling addict, my life is horror I'm now getting away with my son tho

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

I will never understand it... I just wish my friend can get the help that he needs because it's ruining his life completely.

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.

After half a year of gambling, i can say that most of gambling is about not taking responsibility for your financial problems and trying to test your luck (which will lead to further attempts to test your luck until you run out of luck ofcourse). I genuinly made some big wins, but i've lost those wins as well. It messes with your brain, last week i was gambling and the longer i kept playing the more reckless my bets became. I had essentially doubled my starting amount, but i was like "oh highest score hasn't been reached since yesterday" so i kept playing and guess what i lost it all. Afterwards i was obviously like "i should have just cashed out". This is one of many examples why you shouldn't gamble, it isn't worth it unless you plan on losing the money and just having a good time with your mates. Gambling will leave you with regrets, thats the only guarantee from Gambling.

I’m a gambling addict. Pay day was 5 days ago. Mortgage, council tax, water, gas and electric bills came out. Got mobile and car insurance yet to come out this month. Gives me enough money for food for the month and money for whatever else. However that money for whatever else I’ve already lost to roulette online today.... I don’t even like gambling but I do it almost every month because I tell myself I can win money back. I’m really selfish and stupid and I genuinely don’t like who I am anymore.

Underrated addiction. I've lost millions with an "s" over a 20+ year span. Don't be me, don't gamble, winning is the worst thing that can happen for some people that's the start to the addiction.

Many people say gambling addiction isn't real. Honestly my gambling addiction has ruined a lot of things for me. It even ruined me at one point in time. I can't discipline myself because I do win but I stay until it's all gone.

How ironic is it that there's an ad for a gambling app right before the video starts

Lord, this is worst than I've ever imagined, its not about the possibility of winning, its about being there in that moment as the bet happens, and the fact that winning doesn't affect him all that much makes it worst.

roulette, blackjack , poker is nothing compared to level of gambling addiction of a slot machine

BBC Thankyou for this show, Now I think i have insight about why a relative of mine has this problem....pls post a full documentary...this is so educational and informative. Thankyou.

This is interesting about the brain, it took me a 32 plus years span of Gambling to finally overcome this horror story, I’m still unraveling the damage I did to myself and others, even though I hid it very well, except toward my latter end.

I'm losing my life to this addiction. I have been hoping for the big win since I was 13 years old. (I played scratch tickets then) I had a chance at 100,000 but I didn't place the side bet. I think I have been chasing that possibility for 8 years now and it hurts because I have wasted so much life in this place. Yet I can't seem to drop it, I always lie to myself and I end up back there doing what I have always been doing. I have asked for support from my family but they don't offer me the support I need. I try to us sheer will power but yet I slip up. I try to use logic but I end up telling myself lies. It has been the single most worse thing I have been doing in this life of mine. I am a hard core addict and if I don't rid myself of this now I will be alone. I will lose everything! I am such a fool for believing the lie that I will some day make it out if I just hit that big jackpot. I feel so sick. If I don't quit now I will be in hell! Fuck it, I am done with this place. I am done with the deception. I just had to let this shit out somewhere. Give me hope my fellow brothers and sisters because it's now or never.

The biggest risk is that you have a losing strategy when you think you have a winning strategy.

Three years ago, when I was a student, I rent a room and lived alone. I started to play game out of sheer boredom and I promptly addicted to it. I had tried in vain to quit it for almost one year until I found support from my family. Though game, I think, is much easier to quit than gambling, I partialy understand how addicts feel. And I think that to quit something like games, alcohol, gambling, etc we definitely need help from others( family, friends, partners, doctor and psychologist). It's nearly impossible to do it by yourself. We need a supportive community because this is a hard challenge, a very long journey to go. Hope you can find your right support and successfully overcome this.

It took me losing over 250k to realize I had an issue. And being at the bottom now I have no choice but to stop. This addiction has stopped me from being able to build a life, I’ve been unable to maintain relationships, and become reclusive or resulted to lying in instances where I have to explain my financial situation. I’m not proud of this at all, but it takes accepting that I have an issue to even begin to start rebuilding my life.

Nothing worse than gambling addiction some people dont understand it

Depression and anxiety = casino

It’s a big big problem in UK gambling addiction we need to make gambling illegal that’s my say before it destroys lots of people thank you

Gambling just for a rush isn't enough...money always beats the rush for me personally.

The only way I was able to stop my gambling dis-ease was to create dopamine in my mind.I did that by thinking about the most exciting times and my life.I think about those exciting times whenever I get the urge.Just keep fighting.

Gambling has ruined my life honestly!

This reads so true to me. I’m an intelligent person who knows most likely I’m going to lose my money when I gamble. But it’s the thrill of ‘participating’ that keeps me engaged even when, rationally, I know I should leave.

"the crazier you are, the more you love to gamble" ~yumeko jabami

you have 2 options: gamble and lose family, hope, life, everything or don't gamble and be succesfull and enjoy life. Simple.

I’m a casino dealer in AC, there is such a thing as responsible gambling for all you people claiming there isn’t. Gamble for fun not to win, if you win then that’s a nice bonus, stay strict to your losing limit but also stay strict to your winning limit so you don’t give it back. I see plenty of people gamble responsibly and I see plenty of people bet my entire paycheck on a blackjack hand and that scream at ME when they lose. That’s addiction and that’s unhealthy. Alcohol ruins lives, not when you drink it responsibly however.

My gambling problem is a boredom problem I get bored nothing to do so I blow all my money at casinos

I lost my family because of this I am now homeless living in my car sometimes I think of my daughter and ex wife how I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from placing my first bet 😢

I really like this kind of "how the brain works" videos. Wish they could do even larger ones for youtube.

I've been gambling since i was 17 and I'm 23 now nearly 24 it's the worst thing ever, last night i lost £680 ....the thing i feel numb about everything now

If anyone is making money then open your own casino, if someone is to be wasted then play in the casino.

The amount of gambling adverts no wonder everyone’s hooked. They push even more adverts advertised as be gamble aware and only gamble what you have.

as a gambler the sweetest most confusing feeling is losing money like 10000 dollars and still say i got 9k back at the bank and expecting 3k payment, let me place once more and get back what i have lost

This way of human destruction should be prevented by law It makes me wonder who’s the owner of this criminal activity

I lost my dad because of gambling. He's addicted to it. He chose gambling over us, his family. He died alone with his addictions. Growing up without a dad is one of the most painful wounds in my life. I pray everyday that people addicted to gambling will somehow choose change for the sake of goodness before its too late.

Gambling makes me happy and hurts me at the same time, its crazy.

Does anyone mention that gambling is a huge source for taxable income for the government? Can anyone explain the reason 18% of adverts on TV are for gambling, yet no ads for drinking or smoking

gambling has to be seen as a form of entertainment and budgeted for. i feel for those who play without limits. happy new year everyone.

Who still gambling until now ???

great Video thank you!

Especially the part where MRI shows no difference on brain activity between the reality/ reward/ winning vs anticipation...which actually results in a person getting hooked....

I’m a serious gambler , watching this roulette wheel in this video I can feel soemthing move in my brain. Weird .. I need support 😢

“95% of people gamble responsibly” bullshit not true

Ahh the good ol’ reverse atm. I’ll stick to my coffee addiction.

You just want something better than what you got. Always and its hard to stop.

I lost my whole bank (3.5k) in 30 minutes on the roulette wheel, kept doubling up every time I lost

Came here after watching “Kakegurui” on Netflix 😅

My mom keeps blaming me and my brother for losing all of the money at the casino

I searched for this and as an advertisement I had a casino game

Gambling is a horrible addiction.

Like any gambling game, odds are on the house. The more rounds you play, the more likely you will lose your money. On computer roulette, each round lasts 20-30 seconds. At live roulette in a casino, each round takes a minute or more, since the cashier has to collect & give out chips and players have to place chips. So in 30 minutes, you can play ~60 rounds on a FOBT, vs. ~20 rounds at the casino table. 3x more times to lose your money, and 3x more likely to get addicted.

Gambling is just losing confidence, losing mental stability, financial pressure increase and many more. People who are getting addicted to it ...must come out of this by leaving the RECOVERY mentality. Then only one can step towards progress

Of course the Jackpot Casino Slots Party is the ad I got😂

i got an gambling ad on this vid...

Im 16 year old and quite addicted to gambling, i havent lost a lot but still it haunts me, dont gamble people!

Currently going thru bad addiction, can't stop playing lost my rent, lost everything just to chase that win... I need serious help

At 2.27 even his brain is spinning to match the speed of the roulette wheel

The only way to stop gambling is to prevent any access to money, it should be controlled by someone else, not by you - once you're blocked from any means of gambling then you can start to slowly regain control ... also depositing money in fixed savings account that cannot be reopened until maturity date is also an option to put money away from you.

In fact, all you have to do is look away and maintain your emotions. I often win at the casino. You have to be emotionless and not get greedy

Never going to gamble in my whole life, not even for a dollar.

There’s a saying “A Bored mind makes you do devil, Stupid things.”

I lost my rent money. This is like the 5th time. Fml

When you go to a casino don't play anything that has negative expected value, play something like Texas hold em where your expected value can be positive depending on your ability and the casino's rake

At a casino, the game with the odds best in your favor is blackjack @ 49% and the casino still has a 2% advantage over you.

Gambling is just as, if not more addictive than doing drugs. I know of several people having big issues with gambling, and if you get hooked, lives will get destroyed.

I work at a casino and what I've realized is the pooer people spend all their money there but the wealthier people are usually the ones with the problems

The interesting brain reading now would be the day after gambling to see what the result is of constant stimulation for many hours. That would be the scientific breakthrough that would help a problem gambler.

I used to be worried that I might be addicted....but my concern for the amount of money I have left in my gambling kitty seems to overide my desire to spend more money until I have saved more money to comfortably spend again.....I wonder is an addicted person cannot do that?

I'm super angry at my dad right now. He had won about 10k just 5 days ago, and he promised to stop because he had reached his goal. But then today he just lost all 10k! I don't know if it's my fault, I told him to die this morning before he went to the casino and lost the 10k. I was extremely angry at him for very small thing because I have serious anxiety plus depression. I wonder if I had made him so angry that he lost his mind... My dad just asked his friend to borrow 250 dollars to gamble again, but his friend said that he doesn't have much money. Btw, my dad went to the casino again just moments ago...

*YUMEKO JABAMI HAS ENTERED THE CHAT*

Should test to see if loot boxes in video games gets a similar reaction. I'm curious what the results would be.

Depression cause Gambling.

these guys are hired from the casinos, to make us stop gambling one spin before the gazilions