Psychology of Gambling: How Do Game Developers Use Behavioral Science?
Few people know, but the duration of gaming sessions is often determined not by the players themselves, but by the designed mechanics that are implemented by gambling developers. They use psychological tricks and behavioral science to increase the time users spend gambling and increase engagement.
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What is Behavioral Science in the Context of Gambling?
Behavioral science is a term that refers to an evidence-based approach to how people actually behave, make decisions, and respond to programs, policies, and incentives. In simple words, it is the science that studies why people act this way and not that way in certain situations.
If we talk about science in the context of gambling, it is the study of why people favor such entertainment, as well as what influences their desire to continue playing further. These methods of attracting and retaining players date back many years ago, where physical casino owners used psychological techniques and scientific research to retain players.
What Influences the Desire to Gamble?
Aside from tricks from developers, the desire to gamble comes from our brains. It all starts with us placing bets and relying on luck. After that comes the waiting stage, where neurotransmitter chemicals appear in the brain that cause feelings of excitement and anticipation. In spite of what we experience at this moment, our brain likes this feeling and further we gamble more and more. If a player wins a gambling game, he or she blasts out dopamine, which triggers the vivid emotions of winning.
That is to say, an important role is played by our brain. While gambling, we get special emotions that may be lacking in real life. The excitement, the adrenaline, the anticipation, the release of dopamine – it all makes us want to play more and more.
According to the Council for Responsible Gambling, when a person gambles, the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine is released in the brain. This release triggers feelings of excitement, and these feelings occur whether that bet wins or loses.
Tricks from Developers During the Design Process
In addition to getting the natural emotions that we get from gambling, psychological tricks from the developers are important. Almost every design element plays a role.
Psychology of Color
With the help of different shades, you can convey a special message to a person and influence his behavior, mood or psychological processes. Casinos take advantage of this, use pleasant hues in the design and entice you to play more. By some “It's amazing how colors can truly impact our mood and influence our behavior,” says Rachel Goldman PhD.
Sound Effects
When you gamble, you may hear music. In gambling, the melody has a similar motif, so the music will then be associated with an exciting gambling experience. Also a study from NCBI showed that players who gambled with low tempo music did so for much longer than if it was no melody.
Design
Developers always pay attention to the appearance of the page. The simpler the page design is and the easier it is for users to find the entertainment they are looking for, the longer they will play. Also, many casinos have a classic design, where mostly prevailing slots and intimate setting with bright elements, but providing coziness and comfort. On the background of such a design, colorful gambling screensavers attract your brain and make you play as much as possible. The most important thing in this approach is to make users feel comfortable and relaxed.
Missing Wins
If you have ever played at the casino, you have probably noticed how often you have almost won at a slot machine, but you were missing one symbol to an exact win. There is a reason for this. Slot developers program the games in such a way that you are increasingly likely to encounter Near-Misses. As the study shows, this approach increases the propensity to gamble and the desire to do it. Users think winning is about to happen and play more.
Sense of Control
When players play slots or any other gambling games, they feel a sense of control. In fact, it is not true. Despite the fact that you press the button to spin the reel or decide when to withdraw money at Aviator, you still have no control over the game. Users don't know when they will emerge victorious. Casinos do everything to stay in a winning position by playing on your sense of control.
Attention Management
Developers regularly release updates and add new features. This is done for a reason. In this way, they keep the user's attention on the game. Any entertainment can get boring, to prevent this from happening, new games appear regularly on platforms, unexpected events in game change scenarios. All of this keeps interest high.
Bonuses and Promotions
Extra incentives in the form of free spins or deposit surcharges cause a special do to play. You get excitement, thrill and anticipation, which makes you want to play further. This is often referred to as gamification, where the casino does its best to immerse you in the atmosphere of a video game where you are spending money. This makes it easier to achieve the illusion of easy winnings and keep you interested in the game.
Gambling without Cash
When you gamble, you use your money in the form of virtual credits, often in casino currency. This affects your sense of control. You don't notice your money running out. It is much easier to bet a larger amount using digital funds than if you were using cash or coins. In case of losing, at first the players do not realize their losses, but eventually the realization comes to them, but too late.
Lack of Time
As you can notice, there is no clock on the casino pages. Thus, it is easy for users to lose track of time. There is nothing to remind you how long you have been playing. This reduces anxiety, users don't feel pressured and can sit at the same slot machines for hours. It's like falling into a kind of trance.
Emotional connection
Each game has its own story. That is, you immerse yourself in an entire story, get to know the characters, increase attachment and form an emotional connection. Creating compelling and well-thought-out storylines is always an effective way to grab attention, which keeps you coming back to the game again and again.
Who Suffers from Addiction?
As the infographic shows, addiction statistics vary according to gender, age, country of residence, traditions and other aspects. If we analyze the infographic, the most vulnerable age is between 18 and 24. All because people at this stage of life do not quite know how to control their desires yet. In addition, the younger generation often makes impulsive decisions that sometimes lead to serious problems.
High rates can also be seen in their 25 to 35 age group. At this stage of life, people have a job and a stable income. Therefore, players have “free money” which they decide to spend on gambling. This can lead to serious addiction problems later in life.
Men are seven-and-a-half times more likely than women to become problem gamblers, research suggests. Therefore, many statistics and infographics on gambling are based on information from men.
How is Gambling Addiction Dealt Nowadays?
Gamblers are not left alone with a gambling problem. They can seek help from international organizations and other associations to get rid of the addiction. Now more and more states pay attention to this problem and allocate funds for its solution.
Even sports leagues are joining the fight. For example, on August 22, 2024, the National Football League (NFL) announced an expanded partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to strengthen nationwide services to prevent problem gambling and promote responsible gambling initiatives. This is a three-year, $6.4 million commitment from the NFL Foundation to the NCPG.
Separately, the NCPG is: “The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is the only national nonprofit organization committed to mitigating the harms associated with gambling.”
What Causes Gambling Addiction?
Gambling addiction is a psychological condition characterized by the desire to constantly gamble. Many experts compare the attraction to gambling with alcohol or drug addiction due to the same level of danger. There are several reasons that can contribute to addiction, namely:
- Lack of friends. When people have no one to talk to, they do not feel confident in themselves, face difficulties when building romantic relationships, they become more vulnerable to gambling;
- Misconceptions about gambling. People who are into gambling focus only on the emotions they receive. They experience excitement and a charge of positive emotions when they win, which makes them play more and more;
- Getting rich quick. When people face financial problems, they look for ways to make money quickly. Many people consider gambling as a method of getting rich immediately. The first small wins fuel interest and a sense of excitement to hit the jackpot. However, really big wins happen very rarely.
Therefore, every gambler can face such a problem. Even these three small factors can greatly influence a person. In addition to these personal characteristics, gambling developers do everything to make players play more.
What are the Signs of Gambling Addiction?
A person who suffers from gambling addiction changes his behavior greatly. This is all because ludomania makes itself known externally. The following always indicates an attraction to gambling:
- Lack of control. The player cannot stop playing, he does not take a break and constantly wants to get more and more, especially in the case of winning. During a loss, such people constantly have a desire to win back;
- Constant thoughts about gambling. All that the player does in his free time is think about gambling, think over strategies, plan the next bets. At such moments, a person feels irritation and strong passion.
- Deception. People with gambling addiction become liars. They deceive relatives, friends and loved ones about their activities. Players hide their plans and do everything to quickly sit down to gambling again;
- Deterioration of sleep. Gambling greatly affects the emotional background and psychological health. All this manifests itself in the form of deterioration of sleep and emotional instability. Sometimes gambling addiction can even manifest itself in panic attacks.
If a player exhibits such symptoms, it means that it is time to contact a specialist to treat this problem. Symptoms may not appear all at once, but one at a time.
Conclusion
Therefore, developers do not just work on the design of the page according to the agreed specifications. These experts use psychological tricks to make your stay on the page comfortable. This way you will play for longer and longer.
Many casinos offer a response gambling tools. In reality, they are not particularly popular. Such solutions are designed to prevent gambling addiction, but as the study shows, players do not really bother using such gambling protection methods. Users rarely use such tools and do not plan to do so in the future.
Therefore, be careful with casinos. Developers do everything to make you stay as long as possible and spend your money. They know human psychology and use a lot of methods and tricks to achieve their goals. If you love gambling, then it is better to choose platforms where you do not need to make a deposit and you can play in the demo version. This way, you can get the same emotions but without losing money.
This article was written in cooperation with write Marie Toland