In this blockbusting episode of everyone’s favourite* addiction-related podcast, we explore the complexities of gambling behaviour, risk thresholds, and the psychological mechanisms behind decision-making and risk management. Top guest Jussi Palomäki is a cognitive scientist and gambling harm researcher, and shares insights on how understanding the brain's response to risk can inform better policies and personal choices.

This episode comes to you courtesy of the excellent Gaming Laboratories International.

GLI is a world-class testing, inspections and certification company committed to delivering the highest quality land-based, lottery and iGaming testing and assessment services, working in more than 710 jurisdictions.

For more information, visit gaminglabs.com.

*The opinion of the hosts’ mothers is as valid as anyone’s. But yes, we are playing fast and loose with the word ‘everyone’ here.

Things we talk about, dressed up to look all nice in a list:

• Risk thresholds in gambling and their empirical basis
• The role of cognitive biases and illusions in gambling behaviour
• The importance of neurobehavioural literacy for responsible gambling
• Impact of market changes and regulation on gambling harm
• The concept of lower risk gambling guidelines and their practical application

Choice quotes:

• "State monopoly allows for serious player protection."
• "Market saturation may not linearly increase harm."
• "Increasing neurobehavioral literacy can reduce shame."

Chapters, but add maybe 45 seconds or so because of our beautiful music and ad read:

• 00:00 Introduction and guest introduction
• 07:59 Finland’s gambling market and the end of the state monopoly
• 11:01 Slot machine availability and gambling behaviour
• 14:03 Monitoring gambling participation and gambling harm
• 16:30 Online casino gambling and market saturation
• 17:34 Lower-risk gambling thresholds and empirical data
• 20:57 How lower-risk guidelines should be communicated
• 25:11 Comparing gambling risks with rock climbing and other activities
• 29:02 Preparation and risk mitigation in high-risk activities
• 31:25 Gambling mechanics, reward systems, and manipulation
• 33:34 Education and neurobehavioural literacy
• 36:02 Individual differences in susceptibility to cognitive biases
• 36:30 Visual illusions and risk perception
• 38:46 Cognitive biases, the gambler’s fallacy, and education
• 41:07 Defining problem gambling and gambling harm
• 43:08 Measuring harm and the limitations of gambling thresholds
• 45:40 Closing discussion and future topics
• 45:59 Prospect theory and behavioural economics

Jussi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jussi-palomäki-3bb24228/

Resources & Links:

GLI: https://gaminglabs.com/

The Gambling Files on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-gambling-files-podcast/

Addiction: An Hour With Auer is a weekly podcast where hosts Dr Michael Auer – he of the title – and Jon Bruford talk about addiction in all its forms. Not just gambling addiction, they discuss all forms of addiction with experts, academics and researchers from around the world.

Dr Auer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-auer-51a48a/

Jon Bruford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-bruford-84346636/

Podcast homepage: https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/addiction/

Media behemoth homepage: https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/

Other podcasts we do:

https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/the-gambling-files/

https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/dessert-island-discs/