When it comes to problem gambling, psychologists tend to be stumped about its causes, which results in difficulty determining suitable treatment. Now, researchers have discovered a potential cause of gambling addiction, which suggests that problem gamblers have developed a different brain patterns to non-players. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that a part of the brain called the ‘insula’ could be the cause.

This particular section of the brain is linked to perception, self-awareness and cognitive functioning. The research team believes that an overactive insula could be the cause of problem gambling by distorting players’ perceptions of winning. One example of this distortion is the fallacy of the ‘near miss’.

When a player is close to hitting a winning combination on pokies or a winning hand in a card game, it is considered a ‘near miss’ – even though it is no different from any other type of loss. However, problem gamblers take these experiences as encouragement to continue wagering because they think that their desired outcome is due.

For years, scientists have believed that these errors of judgement are common among problem gamblers. Now, a group of researchers have discovered a potential cause for these cognitive distortions. The team came to this conclusion by monitoring the behaviour of slot machine players. Some had various brain injuries while others were healthy.

When players experienced near misses, they were especially eager to continue playing – except for those who had damaged insulas. “Based on these results, we believe that the insula could be hyperactive in problem gamblers”, making them more susceptible to these errors of thinking,’ says Dr Luke Clarke, who lead the study.

“Future treatments for gambling addiction could seek to reduce this hyperactivity, either by drugs or by psychological techniques like mindfulness therapies”. These are very encouraging results, and they could have a significant impact on problem gambling treatment methods. We hope to see more development on this research in the future.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.