Slots – Reactivity and Dark Flow Mediate Different Dimensions of Enjoyment
A narrow notch, groove or opening, such as one in a piece of machinery or a slit for coins in a vending machine. Also, the position within a group, series or sequence.
A gambling machine that spins reels and has symbols that line up on a winning payline to give players the chance to win prizes like money or free spins. Slots have become a major part of the casino industry and are used to generate revenue for casinos around the world. While the majority of slot players are recreational gamblers who play for fun and entertainment, a small but significant subset of them can develop severe gambling problems. These problems can include financial difficulties, issues with family and friends, and professional problems.
While PRP and force measures are reasonable measures of reward processing during slots play, they do not capture aspects of enjoyment that are mediated by dark flow. Thus, we aimed to determine whether reward reactivity and dark flow mediate different dimensions of enjoyment during slot play.
In this study, we used a three-machine slot simulator housed in a real slot machine cabinet. A force transducer was fixed underneath each spin button, and the amount of pressure that was applied when a button was depressed to initiate a spin was recorded by an AD Instruments PowerLabs data acquisition system and saved in Labchart. This was then analyzed to calculate the probability of hitting each payout on the pay table.