On the surface, the answer seems to be easy – people love to gamble because they want to win money or prizes.
However, the answer might be a bit deeper when we take a look at the psychology of gambling and why a significant portion of people worldwide take part in gambling and enjoy spending time at casinos, both land-based and online.
In this article, we’re going to take a quick look at some of the main physiological explanations for why most of us find gambling exciting and fun.
Gambling is a channel for natural human risk-taking impulses
Humans are genetically engineered to feel a sense of thrill when we engage in risk-taking behaviour. The reason why people gamble is the same reason why people skydive or watch adventure movies – because we want to experience the rush of participating in action that might be risky.
Early humans had to hunt for their food and fight to survive, which meant a normal life included a ton of risks in general. In today’s domesticated world, gambling and other forms of recreation such as video games emulate that sense of danger and provides the rush that we inherently want to experience.
Gambling as a form of escapism
Casinos, both online and offline, are designed to be immersive environments, providing the player with a fresh experience that’s completely different from their day-to-day life. For a lot of people, gambling acts as a form of escapism from their mundane daily lives. After spending all day at the grey cubicle, it is natural to yearn to be in an environment that’s bright and exciting.
It is also common for players, especially in emerging economies, to look at gambling as a fast way to make a lot of money. This can be considered to be another form of escapism where the gambler desires to escape his current financial situation with his winnings, hypothetical or real.
Gambling as a stimulus
Lastly, a lot of people gamble simply because they are bored. Every casino game is designed to provide a stimulus to the player regardless of whether they win or lose. For example, modern slots are designed to appear bright and colourful on every spin, regardless of the outcome.
In countries like Brazil and India, where the population is mostly young and in their prime working years, online gambling has taken off simply due to the stimulus it provides. It was also partly helped due to the coronavirus pandemic, which made people feel even more bored from staying at home for months.
The top online casinos in India have been experiencing a steady growth in the last couple of years but the effect of the coronavirus pandemic was clearly seen in their traffic and revenue for the year.
The dark side of gambling – addiction
As stated in this article, there are a lot of natural reasons why we find gambling fun. However, the dark side of this attraction can often ruin lives. Gambling addiction is a severe problem that is faced by people worldwide.
Casinos and sportsbooks understand the severity of the problem and almost every major licensed gambling site promotes responsible gambling and comes with features that protect players from themselves.