Casino Promotion and Gambling Addiction

[Slotster!]

I don't know if it's just me - but what is it with casino promotional literature?

Don't get me wrong, I know they are very experienced at reaching into the psyche of their prospective customers, but I think it's a bit naughty the way they craftily try and exploit the triggers of the compulsive gambler. Now I'm not talking Jackpot Factory here, but here's an example of one I received this morning (from a reputable, good brand/software site):

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We have seen many legends adorn the game rooms of our illustrious Casino and although many of these players have been heralded as the titans they are, some have accomplished much unnoticed.
====

"Legends adorn the game rooms of our illustrious casino" What!?!?? To suggest that randomnly winning some money is an act of skill and 'accomplishment' is more than a bit wrong... They actually mean "Some people have installed our software, deposited money and clicked 'spin'.

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That is why each day of June blahblahblah.com is rewarding our most talented player with £100 cash AND etc...
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"Most talented"?!?!? Again, can some people click the left mouse button in a much more special way than others?

It continues...

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Entrance into this daily tournament is as easy as rolling a dice - simply wager (turnover) at least 100 with a minimum of 20 bets on ANY of our Casino games (slots, Table Classics, Instant Win, etc) and if you finish the day with the best payout ratio you will be granted the £100 prize.
====

Ah right, so what you actually have to do - is just put some money in and use your skill, precision, judgement and accuracy to achieve the best payout ratio. In fact, it's as easy as rolling a dice, another activity that depends on the skill and ingenuity of the gifted.

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So, wait not any more and log in at our Games Room for your chance to crush those lesser players and earn your rightful reward!
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Compulsive Gambler = Assume superior gambling experience and 'skill' over their peers... "Your rightful reward"

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

Still, like I say, they know their businesses inside out - so I guess they're just doing what pays!

Excluding tourist type spots like Vegas etc, I genuinely wonder how much of the casino business would survive without the addict/compulsive; online businesses even more so.

A member of staff from a reasonably well known online casino pretty much admitted to me that, without the 'chasers' - it would be game over.

Frightening.

[KasinoKing]

I don't know if it's just me - but what is it with casino promotional literature?...

It's not just you - but I think most of us understand why they write like this and personally I don't have a problem with it.
Gives us a good giggle now & then!

Excluding tourist type spots like Vegas etc, I genuinely wonder how much of the casino business would survive without the addict/compulsive; online businesses even more so.

A member of staff from a reasonably well known online casino pretty much admitted to me that, without the 'chasers' - it would be game over.

Frightening.

That is very true.
If everyone played like me all online casinos would be shut down, or at least have to stop giving bonuses.
But why is that frightening?
That's the business they are in - they need winners as well as losers.
If it was all one or all the other they would be in deep doo-doos!

I agree that compulsive gambling can be a serious problem for some (including some who post here unfortunately) and I always urge people to only risk what they can afford & are fully prepared to lose.
But you have to remember that some people just enjoy playing & don't really care that much if they win or lose.
Good on 'em I say!

KK

[Slotster!]

I hear what you're saying, and I agree that 'winners and losers' is good! The house edge should take care of that, in overall terms.

The objection I've got is to the subtle targeting of compulsive behaviour, leaving me wondering just how much of the online world is sustained by such.

[Simmo!]

Yeah promos are getting well desperate! I had one yesterday that went like this:

Subject: Your Spring Break Invitation
You're invited to enjoy a day filled with spring, come and
celebrate your spring break our way. Enjoy BBQ's, pizzas and
hamburgers on the beach, all to be found in our exciting slot
game Spring Break. This game is ready to throw waves of cash
your way with its generous payout of 3 reels and a massive
jackpot of 10 000 coins! Start your spring break today and play!

Enter Spring Break with the link below:

...yada yada...

Promotions and Events Coordinator

Aside from getting the no of reels wrong (d'oh!), i thought ok, this is a promotion, maybe for a holiday - lets have a look. Turned out it wasn't anything. No match bonus, no promo, no competition, no prize. Just an email to tell you there's a slot called Spring Break!

Er yeah, righto! Like I'm just gonna re-install 800 meg of data, wait 4 hours for the updates since I last played and spend my day waiting for the "waves of cash" Muppets aren't stupid...but they clearly give off that impression!

[Vesuvio]

Yep, if anyone ever has any qualms about using bonuses "not in the manner in which they were intended" a quick browse of your in-box always does the trick

[jenn1381]

Yeah promos are getting well desperate! I had one yesterday that went like this:



Aside from getting the no of reels wrong (d'oh!), i thought ok, this is a promotion, maybe for a holiday - lets have a look. Turned out it wasn't anything. No match bonus, no promo, no competition, no prize. Just an email to tell you there's a slot called Spring Break!

Er yeah, righto! Like I'm just gonna re-install 800 meg of data, wait 4 hours for the updates since I last played and spend my day waiting for the "waves of cash" Muppets aren't stupid...but they clearly give off that impression!

I got the same damn email, and I was not happy! Talk about a waste of time and space in my inbox! If you're an online gambler and you DON'T know there is a game called spring break, you need help. We aren't stupid. Someone at that casino is reallllllly bored.

[Pinababy69]

Yeah promos are getting well desperate! I had one yesterday that went like this:

Aside from getting the no of reels wrong (d'oh!), i thought ok, this is a promotion, maybe for a holiday - lets have a look. Turned out it wasn't anything. No match bonus, no promo, no competition, no prize. Just an email to tell you there's a slot called Spring Break!

Er yeah, righto! Like I'm just gonna re-install 800 meg of data, wait 4 hours for the updates since I last played and spend my day waiting for the "waves of cash" Muppets aren't stupid...but they clearly give off that impression!

I got the same damn email, and I was not happy! Talk about a waste of time and space in my inbox! If you're an online gambler and you DON'T know there is a game called spring break, you need help. We aren't stupid. Someone at that casino is reallllllly bored.

I got it also guys, and almost posted about it myself. What was the point of it? Just another useless email. I actually did fire off an email to them asking wtf? But surprise of all surprises, no reply.

[Rusty]

But you have to remember that some people just enjoy playing & don't really care that much if they win or lose.
Good on 'em I say!

Not so sure if that can be true.
After all if you do'nt care if you win or lose what is the point of playing for money?
You might as well play in fun mode.
but certainly some people take losing better than others but then again perhaps they also win occasionaly which certainly helps.

Many of the promos I receive in my email would be banned in a properly regulated industry for false advertising but then again I have to agree with KK some of them are so bad they are amusing.

[NASHVEGAS]

But you have to remember that some people just enjoy playing & don't really care that much if they win or lose.
Good on 'em I say!

Not so sure if that can be true.
After all if you do'nt care if you win or lose what is the point of playing for money?
You might as well play in fun mode.
but certainly some people take losing better than others but then again perhaps they also win occasionaly which certainly helps.

This may help explain Rusty and there is all kinds of published as well as ongoing medical research. The following is not from a medical journal but is based on known medical research. I post this article as it easier to understand than some of the publications it is based on: Source:This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated.

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Biology 202, Spring 2005
First Web Papers
On Serendip

Dopamine and Addiction

Imran Siddiqui
Dopamine is neurotransmitter in the brain that plays vital roles in a variety of different behaviors. The major behaviors dopamine affects are movement, cognition, pleasure, and motivation (1). Dopamine is an essential component of the basal ganglia motor loop, as well as the neurotransmitter responsible for controlling the exchange of information from one brain area to another (1). However, it is the role that dopamine plays in pleasure and motivation that attracts the most neurobiologists attention as well as mine.

In certain areas of the brain when dopamine is released it gives one the feeling of pleasure or satisfaction (1). These feelings of satisfaction become desired, and the person will grow a desire for the satisfaction. To satisfy that desire the person will repeat behaviors that cause the release of dopamine (2). For example food and sex release dopamine (2). That is why people want food even though their body does not need it and why people sometimes need sex. These two behaviors scientifically make sense since the body needs food to survive, and humans need to have sex to allow the race to survive. However, other, less natural behaviors have the same effect on one's dopamine levels, and at times can even be more powerful. Often these behaviors can result in addiction due their effect on dopamine, and that addiction can have negative effects on a person's well-being. Two of such behaviors are

Cocaine is by far the more severe of the two in terms of addiction. Cocaine chemically inhibits the natural dopamine cycle. Normally, after dopamine is released, it is recycled back into a dopamine transmitting neuron. However, cocaine binds to the dopamine, and does not allow it to be recycled. Thus there is a buildup of dopamine, and it floods certain neural areas (3). The flood ends after about 30 minutes, and the person is left yearning to feel as he or she once did (3). That is how the addiction begins. Progressively a tolerance builds up due to the fact that the person is constantly trying to repeat the feeling that he or she had the first time (2). However, the person cannot, because dopamine is also released when something pleasurable yet unexpected occurs (4). After the first time, the person expects the effect, thus less dopamine is released, and the experience is less satisfying. This principal is the foundation of why gambling releases dopamine.
Several studies have been conducted which targeted neural response to rewards. The results were unanimous in the fact that when one performed an action over and over again, and was given a reward randomly, dopamine levels rose. If the reward was given consistently, i.e. every four time the action was performed, the dopamine levels remained constant. Finally, if no reward was given dopamine levels dropped (4). These same random rewards can be seen in gambling. Because the outcome is based on chance, one does not know prior if he or she will win. Therefore, if the person one wins, dopamine levels increase (4). However, unlike cocaine, gambling causes addiction in only 4% of participants. This is due to the fact that Cocaine's chemical input is much more influential on dopamine levels than gambling's behavioral input. Therefore, only people whose dopamine levels are low, become addicted to gambling (5).

This brings up a very interesting topic of discussion. How do some people have lower dopamine levels than others? Is it genetic, environment related, something else, or a combination of factors? One study concluded that pathological gamblers most often experienced traumatizing experiences when they were younger (5). Because most people who become addicted to gambling have low dopamine levels, and also that same group usually has endured a traumatic experience, we have support for the observation that overall dopamine levels can change due to environmental factors. This then supports the observation that both the mind and brain can change to environmental factors. However, another study has observed that a gene related to dopamine is found twice as often in pathological gamblers than non-gamblers (5). This supports the observation that dopamine levels are genetic. Therefore, there are two plausible observations that can be made. Either both genetics and environmental factors effect ones brain anatomy and mind simultaneously, or that environmental factors can affect genes which in turn affect ones brain and mind. Because the observations in the studies show such a strong correlation between pathological gambling, traumatic experiences, and genetic influence, it the later which seems to be the least wrong observation.

Another important question, however more philosophical, is why is risk and reward a trigger for the release of dopamine? As stated earlier, it is scientifically logical that sex and food release dopamine, because they are essential for the sustained life of man. Risk and reward are not, are they? It is my belief that in nature everything happens for a reason; therefore, there must be a scientific explanation for the increase of dopamine levels in result of risk and reward. It seems to me that the human race separates itself from other species on this planet by not only its ability to reason, but its ability to create and innovate. I feel that nature wants humans to create and innovate, and in order to do this a person has to feel satisfaction when one accomplishes an innovation. To accomplish an innovation one has to take risks. It is risky to try to do something that no other being on earth has ever accomplished. Therefore, there must be a reward other than material that one gets when he or she accomplishes the innovation, or that person would not take the risk. The reward is the release of dopamine and the feeling of satisfaction. The problem with this process is that not only can one be satisfied after a major risk and accomplishment, but one can also be satisfied through constant minute risks and accomplishments. Gambling is an example of this.
These feelings of satisfaction that dopamine exhibits are so strong that one can often loses one's ability to reason in order to achieve satisfaction (4). It is then the unconscious that takes over and begins to make certain decisions. The brain develops neural circuits that unconsciously assess reward (4). Because the dopamine plays an active role in these circuits, a person will act in what they think is in their best interest, when in fact the only interest it satisfies is the release of dopamine. This can be exemplified in gambling where one insists on gambling even though he or she knows that the odds are against them (4). This is the case in all casino games, where the games are structured for the house to win. Probability and reason no longer are the most important factors in decision making. The unconscious need for the release of dopamine becomes most important. This supports the observation that the unconscious plays a vital role in decision making.
From this discussion of dopamine and addiction I was able to make some fairly general observations abut the brain. I observed that both a chemical (cocaine) and a behavior (gambling) can have the same effect on the brain. Furthermore, I observed that the brain is affected by both genes and environmental factors, and that most likely the environmental factors affect genes which affect the brain. Also, I was able to observe that dopamine makes humans take risks so that they may achieve greater innovations. And finally it was observable through gambling that the unconscious is constantly making important decisions. It is amazing how one specific topic can generate so many general observations about how the brain, mind, and nature function.

References
1) Dopamine

2) The Dopamine Connection

3) Cocaine Abuse and Addiction

4) Hijacking the Brain Circuits with a Nickel Slot Machine

5) Mental and Physical Status of Gamblers: Physiological Findings


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[Rusty]

I am not sure what this explains to me.
I simply stated that I doubt that many people who play for real do not care if they win or lose.
If there is no risk/reward element then there is no satisfaction for a gambler.
Or to put it another way, if the outcome is unimportant then you are not "gambling" (which can be defined as a risk taking device).
I have read about dopamine and its relevance to addiction somewhere else but I must say that I do not believe it is responsible for our sex drives or appertites among other things.
After all a man has no sex drive when castrated which suggest testosterone is much more important here and does a cow get a dopamine release from endlessly chewing grass? again I think there are other hormones at work here.
I think you can even attribute the urge to gamble to many other things(sometimes it can be a symptom of depression), dopamine release/pleasure is just one of them.
Nice to have a scientific disscusion though