I’m not a chemist, biologist or psychologist to know details but I have always wanted to know why and how people get hooked on to…. well, anything; no matter if it’s a whiskey, a cigarette, cocaine or heroin. When a person consumes anything mentioned above, trillions of potent molecules surge through their bloodstream into their brain. What I find fascinating is that the distinction between substances has been swept away. It has been proven that in dopamine-reach areas of the brain, nicotine behaves remarkably like cocaine. Just like serotonin, dopamine is a neurotransmitter – ferries messages from one neuron to another within the brain. The first one is associated with the feeling of sadness and well-being and the latter with pleasure and elation. Scientists realized that dopamine is, in fact, the master molecule of addiction. It is associated with everything from snorting cocaine to getting good grades. Gambling is undoubtedly in this range of addiction but it deserves a special attention.
One thing that certainly causes high levels of dopamine in many people’s brains is money. And not many things bring more money than black gold – no wonder it was an inspiration for a slot. I have recently played the “Black Gold” slot at AC Casino. But I got no money from this online game, only empty spins. I triggered eight Free Spins twice winning €1.4 and €1.16 respectively. The biggest win I got was in the base game with the middle reel re-spin – it was a €3.5 win. I couldn’t play that slot any longer so I switched to “Once upon a Time”. It was a very interesting and amusing slot to play. I triggered 5 Free Spins and retriggered two more accumulating the prize to €4.76. I also triggered the Goblin’s Feature winning €3.2 and Rescue the Princess Feature earning €10. So all in all, it wasn’t as abysmal as playing the first one but still, I finished my visit to the casino with €15 less.
I started playing with €40 but I’ve never even gotten close to that amount again. The slots were very tight and it’s becoming a bit frustrating because it happens more often than I would like. But… as long as I keep my dopamine levels in check, I’ll be fine.
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