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[Near miss outcomes in gambling games]
Zsuzsa Pecsenye1, Gyozo Kurucz
1Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem, Budapest, Hungary,
Summary
Near miss outcomes in gambling, where players almost win, can increase the desire to play. These near misses contribute to gambling addiction, though the exact mechanisms require further study.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Games of chance utilize intermittent reinforcement, making winning unpredictable.
- Near miss outcomes, though losses, act as secondary reinforcement, potentially fostering gambling addiction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and critically analyze the existing literature on near miss outcomes in gambling.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and analysis of articles on gambling games using the search term "near miss".
Main Results:
- A near miss rate of approximately 30% reportedly enhances the urge to play in both experienced gamblers and novices.
- Neurobiological studies indicate mid-cerebral activity during near miss events, similar to winning outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Near miss outcomes are implicated in the development and maintenance of pathological gambling.
- The precise factors driving this effect, including player control and intrapsychic variables, remain underexplored.
- Discrepancies in defining near misses across studies complicate interpretation.