Science Behind Online Slot Machine Addiction

Gambling addictions, or compulsive gambling, are an issue affecting millions of people in the US and even more abroad. There must be a reason that certain games become addictive for people to play, even if they are losing money. There are many layers to this issue, so we are honing in on online slot machine addiction in this article.

If you find yourself in the dangerous cycle of online slot machine addiction – or problematic betting behavior with other games – there is help out there but it can be a long road to recovery. In this article, we’ll delve into the science behind these issues and how gambling affects your brain. We’ll also share some resources that have been helpful for people to remove gambling from their lives.

Down below we have links to specific sections of this article. Take a look and go directly to the section you are interested in reading about, or keep reading to take in the full information. We hope either way you will find the information you need here. If you simply want to find out more about playing slots, check out our guide to online slots for real money.

• What Causes Slot Machine Addiction
• What to Do if You Are Addicted to Slot Machines
• Help for Those Addicted to Slot Machines
• Popular Books and Podcasts About Addiction

What Causes Slot Machine Addiction

There are many specific reasons for slot machine addiction. On the surface, slot machines – also sometimes called fruit machines – are fun to look at. They are bright and colorful, featuring glittering lights and exciting interfaces with cute music and features that draw players in. On a slot machine floor, many different machines compete for attention. To do this, they have to be visually appealing.

Of course, slot machines are designed this way. The particular way they appeal to players is the reason many countries have laws prohibiting machines to be in the view of minors, since they can be easily influenced to play by the machines’ attractive qualities. Slot machines access something deep in our brain chemistry that makes us want to play – and, sometimes, to play again and again and again.

However, not everyone who plays will necessarily become addicted to fruit machines. Some people find it perfectly possible to play once and then never touch a machine again (in fact, some people find slots unbearably dull compared to other forms of gambling, like table games or betting!). Others, like non-alcoholics who drink occasionally, will be able to come back to slots every once and a while without any kind of hankering to play in between. The question is, why do slot machines affect some people much more than others, and what puts particular groups more at risk of becoming addicted?

Finally, if you suspect you are addicted to slot machines and need help, you are probably asking where you can go to find support. We are going to cover all of these worthy questions and more. We hope you keep reading and find what you need here.

Gambling and Brain Chemistry

At its heart, addiction to gambling is considered a behavioral addiction. This is because within a person’s brain, they receive rewards for the behavior of gambling. These rewards come in the form of little doses of dopamine. These little doses periodically give a person a feeling of joy, excitement and well-being. That feeling quickly becomes addictive – especially if someone has trouble feeling that kind of pleasure on a regular basis or from healthier activities.

The strange thing about gambling, and why it is so important to be aware of one’s habits and behaviors, is that studies have shown gamblers who are losing also receive a rush of dopamine sometimes. You might be wondering how in the world that can be, and you wouldn’t be alone! Our brains can’t always distinguish between a good and a bad outcome. When it comes to gambling, the act of making the bet (or pulling the level in the case of an old school fruit machine) can be enough to send a signal to the brain, triggering the reward system to fire away. The excitement lies in the anticipation of the result, good or bad.

This means that it is very hard to track one’s gambling habits at times. If you feel good even when you are ostensibly losing, how can you know when it is time to stop? The danger in this kind of repetitive behavior is that players who do not have good boundaries and self-discipline, or those who are particularly vulnerable to addictive behavior patterns, can easily get sucked in without realizing what is going on inside their brains. By the time this realization dawns, someone may have lost a large sum. Then a cycle of shame begins.

This dangerous cycle can lead people who are already in a hole, so to speak, to continue betting in an effort to find an easy way out of it, rather than confronting the issue at hand. It is a horrible place to be mentally, and can cause many to not ask for help with their issues.

Who is Vulnerable to Online Slot Machine Addiction

When players enter a cycle of addiction with gambling, some difficult issues arise. For example, someone can become slightly numb to the initial effects of the dopamine release. That means they need more and more of a hit in order to feel the same high or pleasure (we of course can see this in other drugs and addictions as well). Just as in other addictions, this can lead to more dangerous decisions being made with online slot betting.

Beyond this, some people are more vulnerable to the effects of online gambling to start with. Studies on the brains of human and animal subjects have revealed fascinating insights about these differences. These differences can be seen directly in the makeup of our brains. For example, those with addictions – not only to gambling – tend to have an increase of activity connected to the reward system of the brain. This makes sense given everything we’ve covered above.

Inversely, these same subjects tend to have a decreased amount of activity in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that has to do with organizing, planning ahead and solving issues. It also is the part of the brain that helps one understand how decisions lead to certain consequences! For these people, it is more likely that they will experience a form of addiction because they cannot process the potential downsides of the behavior as well to start with.

On the other hand, though the reward system is triggered through activities like gambling, addicted subjects also tend to have a less active ventral striatum. This part of the brain is the one that helps us process emotions and feel the pleasure of good things happening, for example. When this is less active – in a depressed subject, for example – it is harder for that person to feel good on their own, without the use of substances. In this case, gambling acts as an addictive substance that gives the person a jolt of good feelings they otherwise find difficult to access. This is why problematic habits can be so hard to kick for these types of people.

Furthermore, more recent studies have shown a connection between ADHD and gambling. It seems that those addicted to gambling have a higher chance of having ADHD, while minors that exhibit ADHD traits are also more likely to develop problematic gambling behaviors in adulthood. For those with this neurodivergence, repetitive activities like slot machines can be incredibly appealing since they give constant excitement, something that these kinds of brains crave.

How Slots Are Designed

Unfortunately, brain chemistry is not the only factor. Slot machines are also designed to keep you gambling for as long as possible and to get you to come back for more. Designers do this in several ways.

Environment is the first factor we can envision. A casino hall is designed in a way that keeps players in for long stretches of time. In casinos, often no clocks are visible. There’s no natural light and ventilation can be lacking, too. The layouts of the rooms can be confusing. Swaths of machines blink bright lights to get one’s attention. All of these factors add up to keeping a person inside for as long of a period as possible without questioning it.

The games themselves are also designed in a way that triggers the reward systems of our brains as much as possible. For one, mini wins are often built into electronic games. These could be in the form of exciting bonuses or simply a small win that keeps one going amidst the losses. These make players feel like they are winning, even if on the whole they are losing more than they win.

Connected to this are “near misses.” This is an especially dire part of slot machines. When a player almost gets a jackpot to line up but is one symbol away, it also triggers the reward center of the brain, even though nothing has been won. Features like this are why it is especially important for players to be sensible while playing and practice good habits like bankroll management and other boundary setting for themselves.

What to Do if You Are Addicted to Online Slots

Before a player becomes addicted to slot machines, there are a few preventive measures they can take. For example, good online casinos – particularly those endorsed by state gambling agencies – are likely to be required to include features like self-timers, self-exclusion lists, and other ways of tracking one’s gambling behavior. If your casino of choice has these available, make use of them. Bankroll management is another valuable tool you should use.

If you already need help with slot machine addiction, there are of course other resources you can go to for help. We’ll chronicle some of the best ways of finding treatment for this problem and other accessible sources of information below.

Help for Those Addicted to Slot Machines

Firstly, there are many places out there that offer help for people addicted to slot machines. For a more advanced problem, there are clinics that specialize in exactly this issue, or rehabilitation centers that treat a variety of addiction issues, where gambling addicts are also welcome and can find good treatment. For free recovery help, Gamblers Anonymous is an organization that many have found useful. GA is, exactly as it sounds, anonymous and all are welcome without judgment, whether it is day one of recovery or day 1001.

Group support like therapy in rehab or GA can be a great option for those who need help with slot machine addiction. A group setting provides people to lean on, a place to share without shame (which can help break the secretive cycle of problematic behavior), and provides much-needed accountability, guidance, and structure toward recovery. A sense of community can also be one of the most helpful pieces of the puzzle when it comes to going through any problem, including addiction.

For less advanced issues, it might be helpful to simply call someone for advice. For this, there are several free telephone hotlines and online chats available specifically for gambling addictions. Here you can call someone to talk through what you are feeling and get expert guidance. The SAMHSA National Helpline is one of the most popular of these options.

Popular Books and Podcasts About Addiction

If you like self-help books and podcasts for your own self-development, there are many out there that deal with this tricky topic. You may enjoy Allen Carr’s books, for example. Allen Carr is known for his accessible books on a wide variety of addictive behaviors like smoking, drinking and now, gambling. His book, The Easy Way to Stop Gambling: Take Control of Your Life is rated highly and provides practical steps, support and explanation to help readers kick the habit.

A highly rated podcast on the topic is ALL IN: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast hosted by Brian Hatch. This podcast features interviews between the host and various experts, as well as people who have gone through this problem themselves. Some people find it really helpful to have something to listen to and guide them through this difficult journey.

If you are looking for a slightly more lighthearted approach to the topic of gambling addiction – or addiction in general – we can recommend a novel that deals with this subject at its heart. Rachel’s Holiday is an acclaimed book by the Irish author Marian Keyes. Keyes wrote it based on her own experiences dealing with addiction and rehabilitation. It takes place in a rehab center in Ireland where the central character, Rachel, meets a host of recovering characters and confronts her own issues. One of the most interesting storylines involves someone coming to terms with her own gambling addiction, and many have related to the book, though it is fiction. It may also help you to empathize with a person you know who is struggling with this problem.