Skill-based Gambling Machines: Consumer attitudes and capacity for informed choice

Abstract Skill-based gambling machines combine elements of video games (skill, social interaction, competition, achievement and progress) with the random pay-out schedule of electronic gaming machines (EGMs, slots, pokies, VLTs, FOBTS). These new machines are designed to be more engaging than traditional EGMs and specifically appeal to younger generations to address the aging EGM player base apparent in many international jurisdictions. Skill-based gambling machines are currently only legally-provided in a handful of U.S. states. International regulators have expressed concerns regarding the potential for machines to lead to harms due to players misunderstanding the extent to which skill can influence outcomes (illusions of control) and the subsequent capacity for informed consent. The extent to which consumers are interested in playing the new machines is not well understood, making their commercial viability unknown. This presentation will share research results from two empirical studies examining consumer attitudes towards skill-based gaming machines, their interest and intent to play, and the extent to which they understand the role of skill vs. chance. Participants were recruited online and from U.S. casinos which provide skill-based gaming machines and completed surveys after exposure to the machines. Implications This presentation will provide research evidence regarding two important questions for researchers, regulators, policy makers, and industry professionals about skill-based gambling machines: Who is likely to play these? And Do consumers understand how skill-based gambling machines work? Acknowledgment This research was conducted with assistance from GameCo. The efforts of Mr. Blaine Graboyes and Ms. Danielle Rosenberg to facilitate participant recruitment are greatly appreciated. Funding This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award [DE1060100459] awarded to Dr. Sally Gainsbury. In-kind support for this research was provided by GameCo

An Assessment of the Validity of the Gamblers Belief Questionnaire

Cognitive distortions in gambling are irrational thoughts that cause an individual to overestimate their level of control over the outcome of the game and diminish the role of chance. Due to their strong relation to gambling disorders, they are a particularly important characteristic to assess and understand in gamblers. Although numerous measures of gambling-related cognitive distortions exist, studies assessing criterion validity are scarce. In this study, we develop several tests of the Gamblers Belief Questionnaire (GBQ), a versatile and widely used scale. A sample of 184 U.S. adults was recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete an online study that included measurement of the GBQ and an assessment of the perceived role of skill and chance in various gambling and non-gambling activities. In addition to a confirmatory factor analysis of the scale, three novel validation tests were developed to understand whether the GBQ subscales can identify and discriminate measures of illusion of control and gambler's fallacy distortions. Our validation tests demonstrate that the scale does measure both distortions, providing information about gamblers' cognition that is unexplained by gambling problems, frequency of play, and demographics. Conversely, our analysis of the factor structure does not show good fit. We conclude that the GBQ measures gambling-related cognitive distortions, but there may be an opportunity to reduce the number of scale items and further refine precision of the two subscales.This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award [DE1060100459] awarded to Dr. Sally Gainsbury

Predicting Intention to Play Random and Skill-based Electronic Gambling Machines Using the Theory of Reasoned Action

Hybrid gambling machines (HGMs) are a new gambling activity that combine the skill element of traditional video games with the random pay-out schedule of electronic gaming machines (e.g., slots). Developed to increase gambling by younger generations that favor video games, there is currently no empirical evidence regarding consumer views of HGMs to guide policy-decision making related to this new gambling activity. We use the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to investigate factors that motivate intentions to play these machines in two studies: (1) among 43 casino patrons and (2) among 184 US online participants residing in states where HGMs were available. Both samples completed surveys after exposure to actual or explanations of HGMs and slots. Analyses supported the prediction that positive attitudes towards HGMs and positively perceived subjective norms would predict intention to play HGMs and slots. The results suggest that the TRA is a useful framework for explaining intentions to gamble on traditional slot machines and new HGMs. The absence of research on HGMs makes these studies an important and necessary contribution to the empirical literature on machine gambling. Understanding individuals’ intentions to engage with HGMs is important to guide development of harm-minimisation practices and evaluate impact of policy changes.This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award [DE1060100459] awarded to Dr Sally Gainsbury. The funding body had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing the report or decision to submit the article for publication