Global_Gaming_Business,_February_2019

6 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2019

BY THE NUMBERS

a

study published by Canada’s University of Water-

loo by Candice Graydon, Madison Stange and

Mike J. Dixon in December shed some light on why

players enjoy certain machines and the impact of losses

disguised as wins (LDW), which is defined as players

winning less than they wager (e.g., bet $2, win back 50

cents), the net loss disguised by flashing graphics and

winning sounds. In the study, 32 undergraduate stu-

dents with experience playing slot machines played

100 spins on four games. Two had positive payback

percentages (115 percent) and two had negative pay-

back percentages (85 percent) after 100 spins. Two

games had no LDWs and two had a moderate amount

of LDWs. Students were then allowed to continue

play, and most of them chose the high-payback ma-

chine with LDWs. To obtain a copy of the study, visit

uwaterloo.ca/gambling-research-lab/publications.

MakinG it BEttEr

E

xisting methods to treat prob-

lem gambling have been inef-

fective, so Sally Gainsbury (r.), one

of the world’s leading researchers

in the gambling field, decided to

examine what could work better.

Last month, Gainsbury released

her latest research paper, titled

“Behavioral Economics And Gam-

bling: A New Paradigm For Ap-

proaching Harm-Minimization.”

In the paper, Gainsbury and two

colleagues, Juliette Tobias-Webb and Robert Slonim,

identified five steps that could lead to a reduction in

problem gambling. The study was funded by the Univer-

sity of Sydney and the Commonwealth Bank Australia.

To obtain a copy of the paper examining each step, visit

liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/glr2.2018.22106.

When Losses Feel

Like Wins

From a behavioral economics perspective, the development,

implementation and evaluation of a gambling harm-mini-

mization approach should:

1.Identify and measure the specific target behavior(s),

population(s), and signs of harm.

2. Consider the context or structure of the decision-making
   environment to identify inaccurate beliefs (biases) or
   behavioral barriers preventing a desired behavior.
   3.Design a choice environment that equips people with the
   right tools to follow through with, and adhere to, a desired
   behavior.
   4.Preserve autonomy and empower individuals through
   freedom of choice.


3. Incorporate evaluation into the implementation process,
   ideally via a randomized controlled trial.

LDWs and Game Selection

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