So, on the one hand, overweighing rewards associated with certain activities, including
gambling itself, can heighten mood and sometimes increase recklessness, consistent with reports that
gambling behaviour has a mood regulatory purpose in affected individuals.4 On the other hand, failure to properly balance the impact of rewards and punishment, and the interdiction of cognitive biases including «illusions of control» over the
outcomes of probabilistic processes5 may lead to
behaviour with consequences that destabilise mood, worsen clinical condition, or increase the risk of relapse.