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Is a near miss as good as a win?

By admin on 2010-05-09 08:44:24

Science is suggesting that problem gamblers get the same buzz from almost winning as they do from actually winning which is at least part of the reason why they have a problem. Luke Clark from the English University of Cambridge and Henry Chase from the University of Nottingham conducted an experiment using 20 gamblers to study brain activity when gambling. Although the sample size of 20 is quite small there was a good mix of gambling experience and stakes that were gambled. It was thought that in casual gamblers such as most of those found at online casinos realised that in roulette and other games of pure chance a near miss has no significance and the next spin is as random as all others but problem gamblers can sometimes convince themselves that there is some element of skill in selecting numbers and that near misses are a good sign. The game played was a sort of online slot machine with two reels where the symbol on the left hand reel had to match the symbol on the right hand reel and brain activity was measured as the game progressed. The area of the brain of interest is the area that produces Dopamine which drives addictive behaviour. Each participant had the same number of wins, near misses and losses. A near miss was defined  as the two symbols being within one space  of each other. All players showed the same reaction to a win but those with what was considered a problem showed increased activity when a near miss was registered. In conclusion, if you think a near miss is as good as a win you’ve got a problem.