Abstract
Reinforcement is a key component of slot machine play. Multi-line video slot-machine play can lead to “losses disguised as wins” (LDWs) which are credit gains that total less than the wager on the spin. LDWs only occur on multi-line games, with their frequency increasing with the number of lines played. If perceived as wins, they will be reinforcing to the player despite actually being losses. It has been suggested that players may attempt to maximize their reinforcement rates by playing maximum lines with a minimum bet per line. We recorded the actual game play of 83 participants on two different machines having different LDW rates. On both machines, players, regardless of problem gambling status, seldom bet on a single line (<6 % of spins), preferring to bet on the maximum number of lines available (>70 % of spins). Post-reinforcement pauses indicated that players found LDWs significantly more rewarding than losses and as rewarding as small wins. Players significantly overestimated the number of times they won more than their spin wager (i.e., miscategorizing LDWs as wins). Players indicated a number of game traits that made them prefer one machine over the other. Players who preferred the game with many LDWs endorsed “lack of long losing streaks” and “frequency of wins” to a greater degree than those preferring the other game. In sum, gamblers prefer playing maximum lines. Maximum line-play increases the frequency of LDWs. Players may miscategorize LDWs as wins, thus increasing the perceived reinforcement rate of multi-line slot machine.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dixon, M. J., Collins, K., Harrigan, K. A., Graydon, C., & Fugelsang, J. A. (2013b). Using sound to unmask losses disguised as wins in multiline slot machines. Journal of Gambling Studies. doi:10.1007/s10899-013-9411-8.
Dixon, M. J., Harrigan, K. A., Sandhu, R., Collins, K., & Fugelsang, J. A. (2010). Losses disguised as wins in modern multi-line video slot machines. Addiction, 105(10), 1819–1824.
Dixon, M. J., Harrigan, K. A., Santesso, D. L., Graydon, C., Fugelsang, J. A., & Collins, K. (2013a). The impact of sound in modern multiline video slot machine play. Journal of Gambling Studies. doi:10.1007/s10899-013-9391-8.
Dixon, M. J., MacLaren, V. V., Jarick, M., Fugelsang, J. A., & Harrigan, K. A. (2013). The frustrating effects of just missing the jackpot: Slot machine near-misses trigger large skin conductance responses, but no post-reinforcement pauses. Journal of Gambling Studies, 29(4), 661–674.
Dixon, M. R., Maclin, O. H., & Daugherty, D. (2006). An evaluation of response allocations to concurrently available slot machine simulations. Behavior Research Methods, 38(2), 232–236.
Felton, M., & Lyon, D. (1966). The post-reinforcement pause. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 9(2), 131–134.
Ferris, J., & Wynne, H. J. (2001). The Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.
Griffiths, M. D. (1993). Fruit machine gambling: The importance of structural characteristics. Journal of Gambling Studies, 9(2), 101–120.
Harrigan, K. A., Dixon, M. J., MacLaren, V. V., Collins, K., & Fugelsang, J. (2012). The maximum rewards at the minimum price: Reinforcement rates and payback percentages in multi-line slot machines. Journal of Gambling Issues, 26, 11–29.
Haw, J. (2008). Random-ratio schedules of reinforcement: The role of early wins and unreinforced trials. Journal of Gambling Issues, 21, 56–67.
IJsselsteijn, W. A., de Kort, Y. A. W., & Poels, K. (2008). The game experience questionnaire: Development of a self-report measure to assess the psychological impact of digital games. Unpublished manuscript. Game experience lab, Department of Technology Management, University of Technology of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Jefferson, S., & Nicki, R. (2003). A new instrument to measure cognitive distortions in video lottery terminal users: The informational biases scale (IBS). Journal of Gambling Studies, 19(4), 387–403.
Jensen, C., Dixon, M. J., Harrigan, K. A., Sheepy, E., Fugelsang, J. A., & Jarick, M. (2013). Misinterpreting ‘winning’ in multiline slot machine games. International Gambling Studies, 13(1), 112–126.
Langer, E. J. (1975). The illusion of control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 311–328.
Livingstone, C., Woolley, R., Zazryn, T., Bakacs, L., & Shami, R. (2008). The relevance and role of gaming machine games and game features on the play of problem gamblers. Adelaide: Independent Gambling Authority of South Australia.
Parke, J., & Griffiths, M. (2006). The psychology of the fruit machine: The role of structural characteristics (revisited). International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 4(2), 151–179.
Patton, J. H., Stanford, M. S., & Barratt, E. S. (1995). Factor structure of the Barratt impulsiveness scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51(6), 768–774.
Peters, H., Hunt, M., & Harper, D. (2010). An animal model of slot machine gambling: The effect of structural characteristics on response latency and persistence. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(4), 521–531.
Skinner, R. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Oxford, England: Macmillan.
Steenbergh, T. A., Meyers, A. W., May, R. K., & Whelan, J. P. (2002). Development and validation of the gamblers’ beliefs questionnaire. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16(2), 143–149.
Van Selst, M., & Jolicoeur, P. (1994). A solution to the effect of sample size on outlier estimation. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 47A, 631–650.
Walker, M. (2004). The seductiveness of poker machines. Gambling Research, 16(2), 52–66.
Williamson, A. & Walker, M. (2001). Strategies for solving the insoluble: Playing to win Queen of the Nile. In G. Coman (Ed.) Lessons of the Past: Proceedings of the 10th National Association for Gambling Studies Conference, Mildura, 2000 (202-209). Alphington, Victoria.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Templeton, J.A., Dixon, M.J., Harrigan, K.A. et al. Upping the Reinforcement Rate by Playing the Maximum Lines in Multi-line Slot Machine Play. J Gambl Stud 31, 949–964 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9446-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9446-5