A new research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, reveals that personified slot machines are more addictive for players and encourage them to play until they are penniless. The research was conducted by Paulo Riva from the University of Milano-Bicocca. It identified a new unexplored factor that lures players to keep on playing slots called anthropomorphism.
Riva asked student participants to play at least one spin at online slots. But first he instructed them to read the general description of slots and how they work, especially the algorithms created by the RNG all slots have.
Participants that perceived slot machines as games that are solely responsible for their outcome and the ones that always choose what will happen (a win or not), played significantly longer, although there is a variability between the players.
Furthermore, the study reveals that slots with human-like intentions encourage longer play even though they have given cash prizes to players. One reason for this is connected to emotions. A win at these slots creates excitement and stimulation to keep on playing.
Based on the findings from this research Riva notes that the gambling industry is selling players a challenge against mind rather than just a slot game. New slots create an intimate element to play which helps players spend their entire bankrolls playing them.
According to book Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas from Natasha Dow Schüll, casual players might be drawn into the illusion of competition, but slots can be very damaging for compulsive players. These players devote their time and money to playing slots without expecting and perhaps even wanting a fair fight. Slots provide them an escape from a life that is hard to control and the games give them the chance to surrender to a predictable process.