Reginald Blair 
Gambling can produce an addictive high, but indulging in it too frequently could result in financial distress and become a cycle of gambling addiction.
Researchers have conducted extensive research into the motivations and emotions gamblers experience while playing different casino games, with slot-machine players experiencing more intense emotions while scratch card players have felt them less deeply.
Excitement
Casino gambling is an exhilarating experience that draws in people of all backgrounds. Its allure lies in its promise of victory and anticipating what could come next on a spinning roulette wheel or spinning slot machine reel.
Gamblers’ environments can have an enormous effect on their emotions and can make it more challenging to control their behavior. Casinos’ bustling, loud, and overcrowded spaces often amp up emotions such as anger when combined with alcohol or other substances.
Gamblers turn to dopamine released by their brain’s reward system in order to cope with such emotions, leading them down an addictive cycle of risk-taking and loss – eventually depleting this neuron-stimulation pathway and leading to loss of self-control and dependence.
Anxiety
Anxiety associated with losing a bet or experiencing a losing streak can send players on an emotional rollercoaster ride, leaving them feeling stressed out and vulnerable. This may lead to self-destructive behaviors and compound mental health issues; however, by avoiding high-risk situations, increasing knowledge and strategy development, taking breaks, and seeking support, gamblers can manage their emotions and cognitive biases more effectively.
When speaking to a loved one about their gambling disorder, it’s essential to remain calm and demonstrate your support – this will allow them to feel less defensive and open up more freely. Therapy or self-help groups may be beneficial; medication can also treat co-occurring conditions like depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety and reduce symptoms while improving mood and energy levels.
Euphoria
Euphoria is an indescribably exhilarating feeling induced by certain substances and experiences. Additionally, exercise, orgasm and winning can induce it. Albert Einstein described euphoria as “the highest expression of emotion capable in humans”.
Casino gambling addiction may produce an exhilarating rush, but its negative impacts can be considerable. Addicts typically spend more money than they can afford and incur debt; sometimes selling possessions to support their habit; mood swings may even occur as a side effect of online gambling addiction.
Euphoria, featuring Zendaya as one of its main characters, has been one of the most beloved TV dramas this decade. It explores themes including love, drugs and family; yet has been heavily criticized for sexualizing teenage girls and portrayal of drug abuse.
Frustration
Frustration is a common emotion associated with gambling that can leave individuals feeling depressed, angry and upset – which in turn may lead to self-sabotage or revenge acts against oneself. Furthermore, frustration can intensify when gamblers hold unrealistic expectations regarding winning or losing.
Problem gamblers frequently rely on casino gambling for emotional comfort and escape, often to relieve negative emotions like stress or boredom and socialize with others. While gambling can provide temporary respite from stressful or dull activities, becoming too addictive to stop altogether could prove dangerous in the long run.
Research indicates that different forms of gambling elicit differing levels of positive and negative feelings, according to Flack and Stevens’ findings that different games are associated with differing motivations and emotions.
Regret
Regret is often associated with the high stakes and frustration inherent to gambling, and can also stem from psychological illusions of control, cognitive biases misinterpretations of probability calculations, emotional arousal and impulsivity.
Pathological gamblers frequently express regret after losing large sums of money or assets to gambling addiction, often feeling that they have let down family and friends by defrauding them in order to fund their habit.
Help is necessary for those struggling with gambling addiction, and many seek assistance through family therapy, marriage counseling, career guidance or credit counselling sessions. Therapy helps these individuals understand that they did not make these choices deliberately while also dealing with associated feelings like regret and guilt.
