A new University of British Columbia (UBC) study shows that gamblers who feel they enter into a trance while playing slot machines, are more likely to become addicted.
The Centre for Gambling Research at UBC tested out the “slot machine zone” hypothesis. This is the idea that problem gamblers prefer the fast, active play from slot machines because it helps them with stress, lower moods, or boredom.
“Slot machines are one of the most popular forms of gambling worldwide, but they are also the form most consistently linked to gambling addiction,” says lead author of the study, Spencer Murch, in a media release. “By understanding why slot machines are the preferred game for problem gamblers through this research, we have the potential to improve gambling policy and to design slot machines that promote more responsible play.”
For the study, researchers used a group of UBC undergraduate students, many of whom were playing a slot machine for the first time, and another group of experienced slot machine gamblers. Both groups were asked to play a real slot machine for 30 minutes.
Researchers found that participants who felt more immersed in the game, had a higher risk of problem gambling.
Director for the Centre of Gambling Research, Luke Clark, says the findings could be used to help campaigns promoting gambling treatment resources directed at people at risk of slot machine addiction.
“This confirms there is indeed a link between gambling addiction and the so-called slot machine zone,” says Clark. “When the experienced slot machine gamblers played, we found they not only felt that they lost track of time and their surroundings, but they often failed to notice the shapes on the periphery of the machine.”
Researchers are now taking the next step to determine which features of the machine catch the gamblers’ attention, and how it can be modified to be less addicting.
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