Why do people gamble? 

 

Gambling has always been one of the most famous fun activities throughout humankind’s history. It is a way to fill their free time and enjoy playing with money. İt triggers in them several emotions like the thrill of being able to win or the excitement of making decisions under risk.

Consequently, every gambler develops a unique playing experience based on many factors, such as emotions, expectations and goals towards gaming.  Every player expresses unique gambling reasons that motivate him to continue his experience. 

For one reason or another, some people seem happy and satisfied with their gambling habits. They tend to be comfortable with their favourite games and enjoy spending time and money playing. İnterestingly, while for some players, gambling becomes their uncontrollable activity, for others, gambling seems a source of fun that is worth it. 

Most people from all walks of life are likely to have had an experience with gambling regardless of their socioeconomic status, age and personality.

While gambling has always been associated with negative judgments, most players seem aware and glad about their gaming experiences. 

 

İn this article, we delve into why people gamble to break the negative stigma about gambling. İt is logical to start with understanding the reasoning behind why people decide to gamble first. Keep reading to discover gambling reasons that lead people to start such experiences. We also provide gender differences in reasons why they gamble. 

 

Understanding gambling reasons

A myriad of factors may lead people to start a gambling experience. Some people may begin gambling for fun and witness some early wins and want to keep playing in the hope of exceeding these wins. Others may have started gambling to escape stressful life events and enjoy the adventure of gaming regardless of whether they win or lose. İn this context, psychologists have demonstrated that winning and losing have different meanings from one gambler to another, depending on why they gamble. While for some players winning is the only source of happiness, for others, no matter the results, the adventure of playing is itself the source of joy. İn addition, for some people, the thrill of loss is the primary source of enjoyment. 

 

Moreover, some people may have started gambling early because they grew up in a favourable environment where gaming is rooted in their family culture. Many studies in social sciences have proved that people who live with parents that are included in gaming have a higher chance of becoming gamblers earlier. 

Regarding culture, it is inevitable to mention the environment where gamblers were born. Where individuals live highly affects the nature, reason and frequency of their gambling activity. For example, the number of nearby casinos and the availability of online casinos that take place in their country affect gambling experiences. How gambling may be controlled and regulated by governments and the quantity of consumer demand in a specific territory impacts the tendency to gamble. 

İn other words, the environment and community where people live impact their exposure and approach to gambling. For instance, today, some communities consider gambling a common pastime and believe in its benefits. These shared thoughts and values in a specific environment represent one of the gambling reasons that lead people to start gambling experience early. 

 

İn overall, gambling reasons can be classified into five categories as follows.

 

Social reasons

 

As we have mentioned above, social factors represent one of the gambling reasons pushing people to play games with money.  people may gamble because it is an everyday activity they do once they meet. This may be because it’s what a group of friends or family members do when they get together. For some people, gaming together makes a social gathering more enjoyable. 

Earlier, people dressed up in their best fashion and resorted to land-based casinos to gamble and enjoy the social life inside game saloons. They pay attention to every detail of gambling adventures, including other people inside the casino.

Moreover, the growing number of live online casinos that offer players opportunities to interact with other real players worldwide is an evident proof. İn other words, today, it is not rare to see online players enjoy gambling to socialize with other players connected from several countries. 

 

Financial reasons

Regardless of their socioeconomic status, all gamblers start playing to win money. When it comes to gambling, the first idea that comes to mind is money. Some people enjoy dreaming about what they would do with the money if they won a blackjack or a poker table, and they think about how their winnings would change their lifestyle. 

While some people who gamble hope to win some extra money, others gamble out of desperation for money and believe that games can solve their financial problems. These people generally face serious financial troubles, and they seek an easy and rapid way to come up with a solution by running the gambling experience.

 

Copying reasons

For certain reasons, some people have to deal with stressful events and an array of responsibilities in their course of life. They find gambling a way to cope with stress and negative energy. İt helps them forget their worries, because they may feel more self-confident while playing. İn other words, when people feel depressed, they may turn to games to dive into their adventure instead of keeping their source of depression fixed. İt represents their strategy to cope with the negative parts of their lives.

 

Entertainment reasons

Gambling consists mainly of playing games, a means of entertainment that may attract many people. To fill their free time, some people find it enjoyable to play games with money. İt provides them with excitement and positive energy. İnstead of overeating or over sleeping, some people prefer to spend their free time playing games as entertainment for them. So gambling seems to break feelings of routine, boredness and loneliness. 

 

Psychological reasons

 

Psychologists found that some people enjoy gambling because they find it prestigious. They love casino etiquette and specific climate. Many business people or Hollywood stars are involved in gambling because it represents the prestige of being.

İn other words, some specific people seek sources of prestige to feel comfortable and self-confident, and gambling comes to fit their needs.  

İn addition, some people enjoy gambling because they perceive it as proof of their intelligence. Generally, professional gamblers share this common reason. They enjoy using strategies, calculations and probabilities to confirm their intelligence while winning at famous poker tables. They enjoy the opportunity that gambling offers them to improve their risk intelligence. 

 

İs there any gender differences in gambling reasons? 

Gambling includes adults regardless of gender, yet women and men differ in their betting behaviour. One of the gender differences in gambling is their expressed reasons.

Social scientists have proved that while women are more prone to express social and entertainment reasons for their gambling habits, men report more financial and psychological reasons.

İn other words, female gamblers tend to seek the social and the funny part of gambling adventure; however, male gamblers are more attracted by financial factors.

 

 

To Conclude…

These gambling reasons help us understand what motivates people to gamble, and they shed light on incentives that come to gamblers’ minds when asked about their experiences. İt is also noticeable that these reasons disclose an array of gambling benefits unknown to many of us. We can conclude that gamblers resort to games to escape negative parts of life or discover new positive aspects of their lives.

Published: November 2022

By: Sarah Zaneti