When addicted gamblers are losing, do they actually believe they'll win?

When addicted gamblers are losing, do they actually believe they'll win?

Marc Kern (Addiction Expert, Director of Addiction Alternatives) gives expert video advice on: How big of a problem is gambling addiction?; What causes addictive gambling?; When addicted gamblers are losing, do they actually believe they'll win? and more...

It's my belief that they really do believe they're going to win and they continue to go to the tables in hopes that they will win because there's no longer any background for them to fall back on. There's no way of backing away from the table because they've undermined their pocketbook sometimes before. But also they believe they're going to win because its been taught to them that if you play the slots long enough, if you play the tables long enough, if you play the video game long enough it's eventually going to happen. It's not like everytime they went there they won or everytime they went to the table they lost. They've been taught week over weeks over months, you stay with it long enough you will eventually win. It's the nature of what the casinos have designed in the exchange and the re-enforcement.