While pathological gambling can’t be explained so simply – there are often many reasons why an addiction might develop in a person – it’s certainly interesting to explore how the excitement of a flutter might be tied to the style and structure of whatever game is being played.Īnd even when it’s not a problematic obsession, gambling still seems to entertain those who go home with empty pockets. It’s about the process of betting itself – and all the attendant factors that make that enjoyable. This means that some players try to seek out (or “skim”) machines which have been holding back jackpots, in the hope of being there when the tide turns.Īll of this contributes to the idea that much of gambling isn’t about winning at all. Griffiths gives the example of UK gaming machines which are designed with adaptive logic that means they might pay out more than they take from customers during a certain period, after which they will revert to a less generous system. Because the availability of opportunities to gamble is linked with the level of problem gambling in a given community, Griffiths argues that it is the number of potential rewards – not actual rewards or even the type of betting – that drives pathological gamblers.Īnd, interestingly, there are cases in which gamblers might try to develop a “pseudo-skill” as a sort of justification for targeting those potential rewards. One key factor in how addictive any kind of gambling might be is how frequently players can place bets. “In line with hypotheses supporting frustration theory and cognitive regret, this might make the electronic gaming machine more enticing,” writes Griffiths in one paper.
When a player loses, for instance, the character Mr Smithers might declare, “You’re fired!” Griffiths wonders whether the taunts of a common machine referencing The Simpsons has an antagonistic effect on players. Much is still unknown about how their design impacts player behaviour, but, for example, many machines and casinos use red and similar colours – considered more arousing. “Though you should probably walk away at that point.”īut are devices like gambling machines actively manipulative as well? Griffiths has written about the cues that electronic gaming machines give to players.
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