New Research Links Casino Gambling With Behavioral Learning

A current research is being run in the Cyprus university in Lefkosia, Cyprus, studying the connection between casino gambling behaviors and behavioral learning that takes place in the laboratory.

The study started a month ago, and already a direction for the conclusions of the study is becoming apparent. Gregory Horns, who heads the research as his master's thesis, originally sent a mail to gambling365.com, asking for their aid. "The idea for the study actually came to me after playing a play-money poker game. I felt that like gamblers, I too had a drive to continue on playing the game, even though no money was involved," Horns says. "The current study tries to prove that gambling addictions don't necessarily have to do with the drive to win money, and this is shown through the link to behaviorism."

The behaviorism theory, developed originally by physiologist Ivan Pavlov, views the learning process as the link between two unrelated stimuli. This way, if you ring a bell every time you give your dog food, it will learn to salivate at the mere hearing of the bell. In a same matter, Horns theory sees gambling as the linkage between the play action, and the reward of winning the online gambling game.

Previous studies have considered real cash rewards as an essential aspect of gambling addictions. Horns views these behaviors as habits that are accumulated over time.

Horns' study may have a profound affect on various online gambling sites, that may use the information gathered through this study to fight back against claims that casino games are addictive.

Article Submitted by:
Tera Lee, Gaming and Casino Journalist.

Related Articles