There was an article published recently about why gambler’s just can’t walk away from their games, or as it was bluntly put, their addictions. And the article really makes some interesting points. It was published in the Journal of Gambling Studies. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it, but the main researcher, named Kyle Siler, is a sociology doctoral student at Cornell who studied almost 30 million poker hands on the Internet. I’d say that qualifies as an all-inclusive trial sample.

The basic premise of the article says that while betting on big sporting events or even doing minimal bets online with poker, blackjack, etc…, is easy and thrilling, these actions can actually have unexpected effects on your brain, and that it’s these effects that draw people back for more – win or lose.

Once you sift through the barrage of statistics (65 percent of Americans gamble, legalized gambling is a $100B industry, etc…), it begins to dive deeper into the question of why we don’t walk away. And the explanation is simply that winning offers positive reinforcement to your actions, while losing serves as a window to vulnerability. After one such loss, especially a loss that gets you “close” to a win (think two out of three cherries in a slot machine), you’re going to be more willing to keep betting because your brain is telling you that you’re “getting somewhere.” Part of your brain after a loss ignites and floods your head with the notion that you’re learning a skill, that you’re getting closer to the victory.

Of course, in a game of chance, there is no learning. The only learning to be done is through trial and error on when to walk away from the game. We all know the house has the edge, it has to. So even the professionals are going to lose sometimes. The difference between them and your run-of-the-mill players out there for fun or to “make a few bucks” is that the amateurs don’t know how to fight that part of their brain, or they haven’t prepared themselves with enough study of probabilities to make an informed decision on when to walk away.

Like I said, it was a very interesting article that opens your eyes a little bit to what it really means to have a gambling addiction, or just be in a position of practicing self-control after a nasty loss.