What are social casino games, and why do people become addicted?
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Social casino games are free to play but you can't win anything. They are less regulated than the real thing. The global social casino market generates billions in revenue each year. Last month, a Mackay woman was jailed after stealing nearly $1 million to fund her social gambling addiction.
Gambling is not about money, but about the experience of risking something for a reward. Dopamine makes us feel high and happy, so we seek out the substances and activities that give us that feeling. If we see something that reminds us of our favourite social casino game, like an ad or a notification to keep playing, our brain releases a tiny bit of dopamine in the reward pathway.
There's a social element to social casino games. They are programmed to have you win more often than in an actual casino gamble. Without payouts, it doesn't cost the operators of social casinos anything to let users win. Dr Gainsbury says this encourages people to play more and hooks them in. There are a range of free resources and online treatment options to help people who become addicted to online social gambling games, such as the Central Queensland University's Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory.
