Playing for the first time is not the basis if the gambler is going to become addicted or not. Regardless of you win or lose when you first time playing, it still depends on your mindset towards gambling. Is it a way to make money or just for entertainment?
But there are people who see losses as an indication to just stop because of that bad experience. While others chose to continue to somehow recover back their money. Some of us believe that winning can trigger the gambler to keep playing, it might be true. But again, it depends on how you treat gambling, how you value your money to risk in games where luck is a major factor to be able to win. Because if you have no discipline and just let your emotion control you, certainly gambling can affect you negatively that can lead to addiction.
Is it naive to reduce addiction to mentality and discipline? We must accept casinos' clever strategies for hooking gamblers. Everything from slot machine sounds and lights to casino floor architecture is carefully engineered to attract and retain gamblers. In addition to strength, a person must understand their environment. Every piece is designed to attack human vulnerabilities in this psychological battleground. Isnt it equally vital to teach potential gamblers about these traps as mindset?
Money and winning are triggers, yes. What about societal factors? Do peer pressure, gambling camaraderie, and the glamorization of "large winnings" contribute to addiction? Gambling is social. Gambling may be for fun or profit, but social dynamics often influence behavior. Why not also address these social factors and educate individuals about how they can be quietly manipulated into gambling more than they intended? Not just the individual, but the gambling ecosystem. Dont we need a broader, more comprehensive approach to identify and reduce gambling addiction risks?