What happens in a player's mind from the perspective of neurobiology

In the mind of a person placing bets with an unknown outcome, fundamental cognitive processes occur. These include decision-making under uncertainty, the desire to obtain a reward, the evaluation of potential losses, regret over incorrect decisions, and the adjustment of future strategies—a whole cauldron of floating, intermingling thoughts and emotions🍵🧠🥘. That is why the topic of gambling has not escaped the attention of scientists.

It turns out that the most interesting activity occurs in the orbitofrontal cortex, which is responsible, among other things, for analyzing social interactions🤝. It is located in the frontal lobes of the brain and is primarily occupied with repeatedly replaying recent experiences and noting what exactly was unsatisfactory about them. This is essentially the emotion of "regret." According to numerous studies, including one published by Berkeley scientists in 2018, this area lit up every time the results of a gambling round were announced.

Regret was the main emotion for subjects both after a loss and after a win: in the first case, they obviously lamented the lost bet, and in the second, they regretted not betting more📈🃏. At the same time, the subjects' minds were solely occupied with the results of the previous round of the game, not referring to earlier experiences. The pattern did not change after the subject placed another bet: instead of joyfully anticipating a win—or even regretting the recent risky decision to place a bet—their brain continued to analyze the results of the past round.

How to use this information in attracting and retaining players is up to you😉