They are behind glass for all to see and on a main walkway. The siting of slot machines in a motorway service station are not in an enclosed room. So, in this day and age the call of flashing lights and the promise of a big jackpot is never far away thus enabling the addictive behaviour to become more widespread and play more accessible. They can be found in pubs, amusement arcades, leisure facilities and even motorway service stations. When you hear the words slot machines, there was a time when you would associate them as being sited solely in Casinos. Thus gambling can be compared to taking drugs as the same neurotransmitters get released when you play.

Slot machines are designed to play on many reward mechanisms of the brain. Electronic gaming machines have become known as “the crack cocaine” of gambling. They contribute to more problem gambling and addictive behaviour than any other gambling activity. However, even with this knowledge, Slot Machine play is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the world and is potentially the most harmful and addictive. Playing slot machines is one of the most popular forms of gambling addiction Reels can also be weighted so that low paying symbols come up more frequently and not the jackpot symbols.Ī slot machine will generate large sums of money for the operator and potentially high losses for the user. For example, unbalanced reels with more jackpot symbols on some reels than others. Secondly, the machines are generally altered to play in favour of the operators. So by a careful preconditioned design we are lured to the slot machine and then should not be surprised that we lose as the machine is the farthest from a “game of chance” as possible. Therefore, the odds of winning on a slot machine are programmed to be extremely low. However, due to the guaranteed high jackpot, slot machines are designed and programmed to pay out much less often to cover the high prize on offer. Add these to what we perceive as a relatively small initial stake and you have the perfect recipe to encourage play. Slot machines encourage players with the flashing light display, arcade sounds and the chance of a big jackpot all these can have a psychological effect on the player. Many gambling addicts are addicted to slot machines – or at least for many that is their first experience of gambling.

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