When we hear the term “gambling addiction,” we tend to think of large casinos echoing with the sounds of slot machines and the clanking of glasses. But in the age of the internet, a physical location is no longer required for gambling. Websites such as Casino Loco Panda and Grand Parker Casino attract millions of repeat gamblers to put money down on games in an attempt to win a fortune.  Although it takes place in the privacy of your home, it is essentially no different from gambling in a casino.

Unfortunately, gambling at home on the internet comes with the same addiction problems as gambling in a casino does. The prospect of instant cash on a lucky hand is more than some people can resist. In fact, online gambling has been found to be even more addictive than in-person gambling in a number of ways. The internet and computer usage have found to be addictive themselves, and when you add the attraction to those things with the convenience of gambling from home, the cocktail is irresistable. People have been known to go through thousands of dollars in one day of online gambling.

It may seem like an easy thing to stop doing to those who do not have a gambling addiction, but this is merely because they do not understand the chemical make-up of an addict’s brain. All human brains produce a chemical called dopamine when they are experiencing pleasure. The brains of addicts produce significantly less dopamine than the brains of non-addicts, so when an addict finds something they take pleasure in, they tend to overuse it. For gambling addicts, the thrill of not knowing the outcome of a gamble is what makes it enticing, pleasurable and exciting, so they repeat the action of gambling over and over in order to produce a satisfying amount of dopamine.

Occasional light online gambling is a common thing to engage in, but when it becomes a compulsive activity and begins to drain the online gambler of funds, it has become a harmful addiction and requires treatment in most cases.