Hazardous gambling behavior is associated with amplified emotional reactivity to gambling outcomes

Within a simulated slot-machine task, individuals who engaged in more hazardous gambling behavior showed greater emotional reactivity in general (more positive emotional reactions to wins and more negative emotional reactions to unpleasant events such as losses and near-wins). These results are consistent with a model in which emotion dysregulation is a risk factor for gambling-related harm, and serve to validate this model in a more naturalistic setting.