Algorithms of virtual gambling and betting systems fuel addiction!

Software Engineer Asst. Prof. Mehmet Kaan İldiz, a faculty member in the Department of Software Engineering (English) at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of Üsküdar University, stated that virtual gambling and betting systems are presented on the surface as games based on randomness, yet user behaviors are profiled in detail. He noted that these profiles form the basis for strategic interventions designed to maximize the user’s retention within the platform and said, “The feeling of having won experienced by the user is merely a deviation margin that has been pre-calculated within the mathematical expected value projection of the system.”

Asst. Prof. İldiz also stated that bonuses activated after losses and intensified audiovisual stimuli suppress rational decision-making processes, adding, “Addiction is becoming the product of an algorithmic design too deep to be explained by individual will alone.”

Asst. Prof. Mehmet Kaan İldiz drew attention to the algorithmic systems operating in the background of virtual gambling and betting platforms and the dangers they pose.

Virtual gambling and betting systems are presented as games based on randomness

Stating that these systems appear to rely on random variables, Asst. Prof. İldiz said, “Although the fundamental dynamic of algorithmic functioning in virtual gambling and betting environments seemingly manifests as game spaces based on random variables, in the background they contain a rational operational model reinforced by highly sophisticated data mining and probability engineering operations. These platforms generate behavioral datasets across a wide spectrum, ranging from users’ in-game engagement durations to the temporal periods when their risk appetite peaks.”

The feeling of winning does not reflect reality

Emphasizing that user behaviors are profiled in detail, Asst. Prof. İldiz said, “These profiles serve not only the optimization of marketing activities but also as a foundation for strategic interventions that maximize the user’s persistence within the platform. The mathematical advantage known as the house edge transforms the probability distribution of each transaction and game into an asymmetrical structure in favor of the platform in the long term. While individual and momentary gains function as psychological reinforcers necessary for the sustainability of the system and user motivation, the cumulative total preserves the system’s profit margin with deterministic certainty. Therefore, the feeling of having won experienced by the user is merely a deviation margin pre-calculated within the mathematical expected value projection of the system.”

The architectural design of games is built upon probabilistic inequality

Addressing the frequently emphasized claim of randomness in digital gambling platforms, Asst. Prof. İldiz said, “The claim of absolute randomness defended in digital environments is technically limited to pseudo-random number generation processes. Unlike randomness in the physical world, which depends on chaotic and external factors, software processes rely on algorithmic calculations that proceed from a specific initial value. Although this makes the system appear unpredictable from the outside, this so-called randomness alone does not constitute a guarantee of fairness, since the architectural design of the game and payout tables are already built upon probabilistic inequality.”

Design is structured in favor of the system

Emphasizing that the architecture and payout tables of games are inherently constructed upon probabilistic inequality, Asst. Prof. İldiz continued: “This asymmetry at the design level is the fundamental element that guarantees the platform’s financial sustainability. Potential vulnerabilities in the security layer or weakly designed generators may theoretically increase the predictability of the system, yet the real risk lies not in direct manipulation but in the structural and rule-based advantage inherently possessed by the system. The capacity of software processes to influence outcomes manifests not through direct intervention but through the statistical configuration of the game’s rules in favor of the system. In this context, the technical limits of randomness and the system-oriented nature of design constitute the primary risk factors faced by the user.”

How do algorithms feed addiction?

Stating that virtual gambling platforms monitor and analyze user behavior in real time, Asst. Prof. İldiz said, “The analysis of user behavior enables platforms to transform from mere game providers into centers of behavioral engineering. With the opportunities offered by digitalization, platforms possess data infrastructures deep enough to monitor and evaluate users in real time. Post-loss compensation motivation, risk escalation patterns, and the dopaminergic effects created by small gains are detected through real-time monitoring mechanisms and converted into personalized incentive strategies.”

Addiction is the product of algorithmic design

Noting that analyses conducted through metrics such as game duration, exit moments, and bonus usage habits are supported by micro-interventions, Asst. Prof. İldiz said, “Micro-interventions implemented in line with the analyses obtained, such as bonuses activated after losses or intensified audiovisual stimuli, suppress the user’s rational decision-making mechanisms and increase in-game persistence. The integration of the maximum immersion principles of digital game design with the risk factors of gambling transforms gambling behavior from a simple entertainment activity into a systematic habit and addiction cycle. At this point, addiction becomes the product of an algorithmic design too deep to be explained solely by individual will.”

In the long term, the winner is invariably the system

Evaluating why the absolute winner in the virtual gambling ecosystem is always the system, Asst. Prof. İldiz concluded: “In the long term, the system’s absolute victory in the virtual gambling ecosystem rises upon three fundamental ontological layers. The first is mathematical superiority and the concept of expected value. Most games are asymmetrically structured through probability and payout tables to function in favor of the platform in long-term statistics. The second is the manipulative use of behavioral economics and cognitive biases. Interface designs that present losses under the mask of gains distort the user’s perception and lead to the miscalculation of the game’s cost. The third is data-driven optimization and continuously learning algorithmic structure. As user interaction increases, platforms collect more data and optimize their intervention capacities. When these three layers combine, individual success stories remain merely statistical noise, while the mathematical and behavioral design of the system guarantees the sustainability of profit. As a result, while the user continues to remain in the game under the emotional intensity created by moments of winning, the system, with its rational and data-driven structure, renders the transfer of total capital inevitable.”