Scientists believe that there might be a gambling gene and it is expressed more in some people than in others. If might also explain why men tend to prefer poker whilst women tend to prefer bingo.

It seems nowadays that scientists are finding a gene for just about every feature and trait that a human being might posses. Now they are turning their attention to gambling.

Just looking at humanity, it is clear that gambling is firmly entrenched in our make-up. Gambling can even be traced back to the early civilisations of Greece, Egypt and China. As long as man has lived in a civilised society, he has enjoyed one form of gambling or another. But could it go back before even then? Is it possible that a propensity for gambling is a part of our basic genetic make-up?

There are many who think that it might. Even before homosapiens evolved from homoerectus, it seems that the ability to take risks conferred a genetic advantage. In fact the migration of early man from Africa involved degrees of risk taking. In times of uncertainty, it is often the one who is willing to take a risk who will succeed. Although one individual might fail, another might succeed, and as a species this is a major advantage. Those who take the risks, leave the flock to seek new resources and survive, will go on to breed. Those who are risk averse might be the ones who stay at home and starve due to dwindling food resources.

As early man developed and formed hunter gatherer societies, different strategies were needed in order to survive. The females were the ones who stayed at home and involved themselves in domestic duties. Their risk taking was restricted to the preservation of their offspring. The males went off hunting. Those who took the most risks were either the most successful or they died. The risk taking survivors returned home with the most food and became the alpha males with their pick of the females.

Thus risk taking became part of our genetic structure and gambling is one way of satisfying this basic need. Does the professional poker player, the maverick of the casinos, still resemble Neolithic man? Does the lady bingo player signing in for an evening bingo game resemble the female hunter gatherer? We think there might be similarities.