World Cup's 'Andy' Will Gamble Too: It's in the Genes

A recent ad campaign by the Singapore's National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) that aired during the World Cup was turned on its head recently after Germany proved victorious. However, attention to the now viral ad has also brought attention to a stark reality of problem gambling - it's genetic.

The original ad, which aired at the start of the world cup showed several small children sitting around a park bench as they discussed who they thought would win the World Cup.

"How about you Andy? Who do you want to win?" one child asked his freind.

"Andy," a boy who looks no older than 10, cast his eyes to the ground in shame.

"I want Germany to win," he says. "My dad bet all my life savings on them."

The children fall silent as the camera pans in on the boy's downcast eyes before the ad fades to black.

Unfortunately for the NCPH, this powerful message was turned on its head after Germany toppled Argentina in the finals in a 1 - 0 game.

Parodies of the now ironic ad have popped up all over youtube, and the NCPH has tried to salvage the message by updating their page with a new image of Andy telling his friend how he never got his winnings because his father can't stop gambling.

However, in the midst of all this, some people are pointing out that unfortunately for Andy, without a hard lesson learned, he is even more likely to start gambling like his father.

According to a 2010 study published in JAMA Psychiatry, gambling habits are heavily influenced by genetic predisposition. In an analysis of 4,700 people from the Australian Twin Registry, researchers found that if one twin has a gambling problem, their identical twin is far more likely to develop a problem as well, compared to a fraternal twin.

This year, another study was published that builds upon these findings, identifying three genes involved in regulating dopamine that are also involved in competitive decision making. Domanine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that helps problem gamblers maintain their "gambling high."

Researchers also discovered two gene variants that helped gamblers ignore the results of past strategy, maintaining a naive sense of security even while taking risky bets.

The study was published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Science on July 1.