“Logically, gambling shouldn’t evoke much anticipatory dopamine, given the astronomical odds against winning. But the behavioral engineering – the 24-7 activity and lack of time cues, the cheap alcohol pickling fronto-cortical judgment, the manipulations to make you feel like today is your lucky day – distorts and shifts the perception of the odds into a range where dopamine pours out and, oh, why not, let’s try again.”
