Gamblers tell their stories: Life patterns of gambling
Gamblers tell their stories: Life patterns of gambling
Gamblers tell their stories: Life patterns of gambling
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5.2.1. The Thrill <strong>of</strong> Winning<br />
Several <strong>of</strong> the participants talked about `the thrill <strong>of</strong> winning’, feeling a rush or a buzz or<br />
getting a high from the hope that they will win or from winning itself. They sought to<br />
experience over and over again the physical sensation that they felt when they were<br />
<strong>gambling</strong> and hoping to win or when they actually won. For several <strong>of</strong> the participants this<br />
physical sensation also allowed them to escape. Interestingly, the thrill <strong>of</strong> winning was not<br />
necessarily linked to winning money but more the excitement associated with winning. For<br />
example, a few people talked about being excited when they won free spins on EGMs even<br />
if they did not win any money. This was the case for Stuart, 54, single, PG (8 on PGSI), on<br />
DSP, from a western suburb, who gambled on horses, lotto, and EGMs both in local venues<br />
and at the casino,<br />
I don’t know if you still win by getting the free spins, for me I get a high if I get the free<br />
spins . . . I mean sometimes it doesn’t pay out like heaps <strong>of</strong> money. Sometimes the<br />
free spins it doesn’t matter, it’s just the same as it is, it just makes it looks exciting, it<br />
doesn’t make sense.<br />
Here, getting the free spins is like winning for Stuart, even though he does not necessarily<br />
win money, he gets an adrenaline rush from them. For people who played EGMs, in<br />
addition to the thrill <strong>of</strong> winning, they also felt excited by the lights and the sounds <strong>of</strong> the<br />
machines. As Gerard, 48, single, ex-problem gambler (0 on PGSI), student, living in a<br />
western suburb, said,<br />
Well, when you’re sitting in front <strong>of</strong> a machine, it’s the lights and it’s all designed to<br />
you know, the colours and everything to get you almost there . . .<br />
The machine designs with music and colours constantly changing encouraged him to think<br />
that he was close to winning and created feelings <strong>of</strong> excitement.<br />
For other people it was the thrill related to the hope <strong>of</strong> winning and the risk that they took as<br />
well as the win itself that they sought. Claude, 24, PG (25 on PGSI) from the regional area,<br />
who gambled on horses/dogs, sports and EGMs, and whose father was a problem gambler,<br />
talked about this,<br />
What’s the best thing, the thrill. So you can have a big bet and you can watch it on<br />
the screen and you can watch a horse and your heart, you can feel your heart<br />
change because you can actually feel it just pounding because you’re having a big<br />
bet and everything’s just on the line and for that moment . . . there’s nothing in your<br />
life, it’s just that and your bet . . . you’ve got nothing else on your mind except that<br />
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