Why can some people just never have enough?

[VaughanJB]

This is an astute answer, as a former croupier I've had a close look at gamblers gambling. They're a peculiar breed.
After watching a particular documentary about gambling I formed an opinion that gambling is like drug use. When the first card is dealt or the call for no more bets goes out the gambler is committed and that's when the drug, adrenaline, kicks in.
One gambler said he liked gambling better than sex. Another, wealthy gambler, asked how much he'd lost. On being told he said that he could calculate his income by the minute and that he would leave wealthier than when he arrived.
Casinos and the gaming industry are built on losers.

Dopamine is one hell of a drug.

Dopamine being the "reward" mechanism in our brains, many ways to get dopamine hits have become prevalent. Gamblers get a dopamine hit when betting. Many street drugs are effective because they release dopamine. It's all about that feel good drug inside our brains.

Gamblers, uniquely, have another set of psychological and delusional beliefs - one of which they can influence whether they'll win or not.

My brother is a gambler. My grandfather was a gambler. Turns out it can be an hereditary condition. Saying that, I am not a gambler, so it's not as simple as saying the offspring of a gambler will also be a gambler. My brother insists that betting on a sport makes it "more exciting", while I say "I am excited watching football and don't need to gamble". A subtle, but significant difference.

 

[OldOld]

Dopamine is one hell of a drug.

Dopamine being the "reward" mechanism in our brains, many ways to get dopamine hits have become prevalent. Gamblers get a dopamine hit when betting. Many street drugs are effective because they release dopamine. It's all about that feel good drug inside our brains.

Gamblers, uniquely, have another set of psychological and delusional beliefs - one of which they can influence whether they'll win or not.

My brother is a gambler. My grandfather was a gambler. Turns out it can be an hereditary condition. Saying that, I am not a gambler, so it's not as simple as saying the offspring of a gambler will also be a gambler. My brother insists that betting on a sport makes it "more exciting", while I say "I am excited watching football and don't need to gamble". A subtle, but significant difference.

I am not excited watching football and I don't need to gamble