i mentioned this in another comment, but there are two kinds of gambler. the stereotypically "male" kind wants to take risks, win big, prove they are skilled,

i mentioned this in another comment, but there are two kinds of gambler. the stereotypically "male" kind wants to take risks, win big, prove they are skilled, etc. and will tend to play games like roulette or blackjack, or poker, or bet on sports and horses. there is a different kind, associated more with slot machines and female gamblers, where they're not playing to win, they're playing to keep playing -- the slot machine produces a mental state that they find compelling and difficult to leave. from the way people describe it it's comparable to "one more turn" in video games.