Gambling Research Team

In Ontario, problem gamblers account for 60% of slot machine revenue, about $1.8 billion annually. In an effort to determine why slot machine gambling is the most addictive form of gambling in Ontario, our research team is using a variety of techniques including questionnaires, interviews, and having gamblers play in a casino and a laboratory where we take psychophysical measures including heart rate, galvanic skin response (i.e. perspiration), and pupil dilation.

Here are sample issues that interest us:

Ontario approves multiple versions of the same game with payback percentages varying from 85% to 98%. The different versions look identical to the player. What effect does this have on the player?

Ontario regulations allow manufacturers to create near misses such as two jackpot symbols on the payline and another just above the payline (Awww shucks, I just missed it!). What effect does this have on the player?

On the newer-style touch-screen slot machines players can wager on multiple lines, such as 15 or 45 lines. With these multi-line games, on approximately 60% of the “winning” spins the “win” is less than the wager such as wagering $3.75 and “winning” $1.25. This is a loss of $2.50 but the machine celebrates this “win” with winning sounds and winning graphics. As one elderly player said “If I keep on winning, I’m gonna go broke.” What effect do these types of “wins” have on the player?

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