In both gambling and sex, people are seeking thrills and pleasure. But is there any relationship between the two? There are many anecdotal observations on the relationship between gambling and sex. It was Freud who claimed that gambling was a repetitious substitute for masturbation and based his ideas on the reading of Dostoyevsky’s semi-autobiographical novel “The Gambler”. A recent “neuroeconomics” study showed that gambling and sex pleasure centers not only share the same location in the brain of both genders, they are also stimulated with similar intensity by both money and sex. In other words, the arousal and climax felt during sex is equivalent to the anticipation and thrill of winning money when gambling.

Other similarities identified by psychologists include:

• Similar parts of the brain show most activity during gambling or sex.
• Both acquiring money and having sex with women is a primal instinct of males.
• The language of gambling has many sexual undertones and vice versa.

Numbers don’t lie

Numerous studies show a definitive relationship between sex and gambling:

• A 1991 study by Lesieur and Rosenthal showed that in two small samples of gambling addicts, 12% and 14% were potentially sexually addicted.
• Research in 2005 by J. Grant and M. Steinberg  showed that 19.6% of 225 pathological gamblers met the criteria for sexual addiction.
• A more recent 2014 study from Columbia University provided evidence that underage gamblers are more prone to problematic sexual behaviour.

Have fun – but as in Gambling as in Love, Play Safe!

Most people will agree that nothing can replace a night of passionate (or wild) sex. But the next time you are alone and want some scintillating pleasure, try one of the best no deposit bonus casinos for a “safe bet” or go for a “sure fire winner” with some of the latest and best deposit bonuses available. If lady luck is indeed on your side, play with your favourite numbers in mind-boggling lottery jackpots including Powerball, Euromillions and SuperEna Max among others.

Go ahead and have some fun. After all it is biological.