Sophia Lane

Editorial byline: gambling psychology and player behaviour

The articles under this byline are built from published research rather than from private observation: studies on gambling design and behaviour are extensive and freely available, and reporting what they found is more useful than claiming insider access. Where a popular claim turns out to have no evidence behind it — and several of the best-known ones do not — the article says so, because repeating unfounded claims undermines the findings that are real.

The effects that shape a gambling session work in plain sight, on people who know about them. That is why vigilance is a weak defence and pre-commitment is a strong one: a limit set before you play is a decision made by someone with no money on the table.