I'm a Gambling Addiction Psychologist — Here's Why You Can't Stop Gambling | Dr. Michael Zhang

August 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Dr. Michael Zhang, a psychologist who ran a gambling treatment and research clinic at the University of Sydney, opens the conversation with a striking reframe: gambling addiction is an "invisible prison." The more you gamble to escape problems, the more trapped you become. The core paradox, he says, is that "the problem feels like the solution." Zhang has no personal gambling history, but he has worked with hundreds of people who do, and that clinical distance lets him focus on mechanisms rather than memoir.

The birth of "gambling mode"

Zhang argues that anyone can develop a "gambling mode"—a psychological state that takes on a life of its own. It gets activated most often by an early big win. That win plants a belief: this is possible, this is easy, this could be a career. Once activated, gambling mode starts generating messages that feel compelling and urgent. It will use anything against you—your business savvy, your sense of responsibility, your desire to make people whole.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:12) **Introducing Dr. Michael Zhang** - A psychologist specializing in gambling addiction explains his background and how he fell into the field.
2 (05:01) **The "Invisible Prison" of Gambling Addiction** - Dr. Zhang defines addiction as a trap where the problem feels like the solution.
3 (08:11) **Gambling in Prisons** - A discussion on the high correlation between incarceration and gambling addiction.
4 (10:43) **The System vs. Real Recovery** - Why the current support infrastructure is designed for compliance, not actual help.
5 (15:07) **Why It's Harder to Quit Gambling** - The omnipresence of gambling triggers in modern life.
6 (16:30) **Prediction Markets: Gambling in Disguise** - Dr. Zhang breaks down why prediction markets are just another form of gambling.
7 (18:14) **The Danger of Celebrity and Influencer Gambling Promotion** - Why the glamorization of gambling is so harmful.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Dr. Michael Zhang is a PhD psychologist whose work focuses on gambling addiction and behavioral change in the modern digital environment — and in this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he tells the complete truth about what gambling addiction really is, why it starts, how online gambling and sports betting have created the most dangerous and most accessible addiction environment in history, what it actually takes for someone to finally get help and enter recovery, and what the psychological reality of rebuilding looks like for the people who make it through.

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#gambling #casino #psychology #addictionrecovery

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Connect with Dr. Michael Zhang:

Website: https://incumental.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drmikezhang

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mikezhang

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmikezhang

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmikezhang

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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:

https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en