Advertisers know how to tempt us with their marketing campaigns and most of us, at one time or another, have found ourselves buying something we did not need, going over our budget on a shopping trip, and feeling regret over a purchase. For most people, this is an occasional occurrence and then goes away completely or for a long time before another mild flare-up happens. Some people are able to learn from these experiences and implement new systems that help them reduce regret, overspending, and thoughtless buying. However, some people become caught in a destructive cycle of spending and buying that they struggle to remove themselves from, despite the increased knowledge, guilt, and tools they may have at their disposal.

Recently there has been a steep rise in the amount of gambling advertisements on all types of media. While many claim not to be “gambling” sites (not exactly sure how they’re able to justify this; even if no actual money is being transmitted the randomness of the games is gambling for our brains) and all of them have a “consume responsibility” disclaimer, nevertheless we are being exposed to this messaging and it has an impact.