Humans are irrational вЂ“ we misjudge reality based on our flawed perception of it. T he starting point is understanding cognitive bias. The techniques gambling products use to tap into our psyches are both artful and terrible, marrying simplicity of concept with ingenuity of execution to nudge us towards dark choices. What is less well widely understood is how gambling companies are able to influence otherwise happy, intelligent and sociable people, causing them to act irrationally, against their own interests. Those affected know the trauma all too well. Betting firms also need to persuade punters that they have a decent shot at winning some money, even though вЂ“ in the long term at least вЂ“ they donвЂ™t. Convincing a customer to choose your brand вЂ“ and remain loyal вЂ“ is only half the battle with gambling. The occasional memory jog will remind you why you like it, and might lead you to buy more and to choose Coke over Pepsi when you do. Coca-Cola advertises in the knowledge that you probably already know how it tastes. But gambling has always been different from other consumer products. The betting industry promotes its wares predominantly through advertising on TV, social media or via wall-to-wall sponsorship of football clubs. At the other end of the scale, what starts out as a harmless flutter has driven countless customers into financial ruin, family breakups, and worse.

The growth of the UK betting sector since then has created billionaires, such as Bet365вЂ™s Denise Coates and BetfredвЂ™s Done brothers.

This money-spinning national love affair with betting owes much to the liberalisation of gambling laws under Tony BlairвЂ™s Labour government in 2005. E ach year, British punters lose more than ВЈ11bn to the gambling industry, equivalent to nearly ВЈ164 for every man, woman and child in the UK.

Streets of rogue slot machine