The recent record-breaking Joker lottery draw, which produced two winners after 44 consecutive rollovers, once again highlighted Cyprus’s deep fascination with games of chance. The huge prize and massive participation, more than 115 million tickets played, reveal not only the hope of a sudden change in life, but also the psychological power of possibility. In this context, research into gambling behaviours is vital, shining light on the factors that drive addiction, from financial vulnerability to the systematic search for relief through betting.
Chasing Losses
Christos Apostolides, a doctoral researcher in experimental economics and lecturer at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, has studied the behaviours that shape people’s relationship with gambling. At the heart of his latest work is “loss-chasing behaviour”; when players keep betting after losses in a desperate attempt to win back their money.
This cycle, Apostolides explains, often leads directly to addiction: “A roulette player may lose everything, yet keeps playing to recover, trapped in a loop of chasing the ‘lost win’.”
Financial Pressure Matters More Than Alcohol
Using UK data from the Office for National Statistics, Apostolides built a “gambling index” measuring behaviour through alcohol consumption, net income and inflation. His econometric analysis showed both short and long-term patterns.
While other studies suggested alcohol fuels addictive tendencies, Apostolides found no strong link. Instead, inflation and low income emerged as critical drivers of gambling addiction. Economically vulnerable people are more likely to gamble heavily and face greater risk. This overturns the common assumption that casino regulars are mostly wealthy, showing instead that gambling is as much about financial pressure as chance.
The Social and Psychological Trap
Apostolidis stresses that gambling addiction devastates every aspect of life. Addicts often become isolated, cut off from society, with deteriorating mental health and finances, usually unnoticed until it is too late. Gambling feeds on the pursuit of positive emotions: the rush of victory releases hormones of euphoria, pushing players to seek relief in continued play despite the odds.
Cyprus’s Joker Culture
Few games capture the Cypriot imagination like the Joker. Since its introduction by OPAP in 1997, it has become embedded in local culture. The odds of hitting the top prize are 1 in 24,435,180, yet players keep trying, lured by dreams of financial freedom, the sense of shared participation, and the thrill of small wins that fuel the illusion of probability.
The game has evolved. In December 2023, the starting jackpot rose from €600,000 to €1 million, and a new tier was added for matching just two numbers. Ticket prices doubled, but participation stayed strong. By August 2025, after 44 rollovers, two lucky winners shared €28.5 million. The psychological effect is clear: as the jackpot rises, more people believe “this time it could be me”.
Marketing, media coverage and multinational gambling companies all reinforce this culture, normalising gambling as a daily activity with deep psychological consequences.
Research Gaps in Cyprus
Studying gambling in Cyprus faces challenges. Legal games can be tracked, but illegal gambling remains invisible, limiting prevention and intervention. Cyprus also lags far behind the UK in data collection, where institutions like the NHS maintain structured records for health and social research. In Cyprus, data systems are fragmented and weak, leaving scientific studies under-supported and monitoring of gambling impacts still in its infancy.
Inflation, Insecurity and Policy
Apostolides’s findings confirm that inflation, low income and lack of social support are decisive in gambling addiction. The post-Covid era, marked by soaring global inflation, saw addiction cases increase significantly, underscoring economic vulnerability as a key risk factor.
The study highlights the urgent need for systematic data collection and targeted prevention policies, enabling authorities to monitor, assess and limit gambling harms. Understanding player behaviour and economic risks can inform effective protection strategies, proving that scientific research is a crucial tool in tackling gambling addiction in Cyprus.
