Steve Joordens

Yeah, great to be back with you, David.

Yeah.

So, you know, often we think of like biological addictions, heroin or something, and we kind of get it that the body has this chemical reaction that can make somebody actually crave and become addicted to that chemical.

Everything in our bodies is chemical.

Everything is neurotransmitters.

So a lot of these behavioral addictions like gambling...

It's really the same thing.

The first step of it is the use of random rewards.

Those random rewards, never knowing when something good is going to happen, but feeling like it's about to happen.

Whenever we're in that state, we're having a whole lot of dopamine release.

So the moment somebody puts a bet down, they start to feel like I could win.

And that feels good.

And they're kind of following that win and chasing that win.

If they don't win, they start to think, okay, the win must be right around the corner.

And it's almost like the more they lose, the more convinced they become that win is right around the corner.

And so they get really compelled to keep up the habit, and especially when they start losing money.

Because when you start losing money, the question is, well, maybe I needed that money.

Maybe that was rent money.

Maybe that was food money.

How do I get money back?