In an effort to understand compulsive gamblers and problem gambling, the Iowa Gambling Task has begun studying the way the brain reacts when a person is gambling.  They are using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to track the activity of the brain when players are faced with win, lose and tie variations.  They are also tracking how the brain works during the correction of errors when playing.  The research is being done in an effort to show that problem gambling is a physiological and neurological problem in the brain.

Studies have already shown that the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain is formed differently in the brains of compulsive gamblers.  Anti-gambling establishments have been pushing the idea that online gambling and live gambling is the root cause of people having problems moderating their game play.  They are placing the blame on the spread of gambling establishments.  Yet scientists are finding out that problem gambling is actually an outlet for people who may be mentally disturbed.  There are actual proven physical and chemical differences in the brains of problem gamblers as compared to the brains of gamblers who can walk away at any time and never go back to the tables.

By using NRI scans on problem gamblers the Iowa Gambling Task is finding out that the brain activity of these people is different than that of casual gamblers.  The activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain was actually heaviest if the gambler was in a losing situation.  According to Lawrence Anderson, an expert in problem gambling, the definition of a problem gambler based on the new scientific discoveries needs to be changed.  A problem gambler is not someone who is stressed out by overextending themselves and then changing their habits to play more cautiously.  A true problem gambler is someone who does not change their habits at all and continues to gamble in the same way in order to release the pressure of some deeper seated problem.

Continued research is required in order to isolate the actual cause of problem gambling in individuals.  There is a call to action to the community to continue study in order to help problem gamblers overcome their compulsions and to develop proper therapy that could include medicines and other treatments.  These treatments would be beneficial in helping these individuals before their gambling drives them into destitution or taking drastic measures to continue their ‘habit’.