Gambling is an enjoyable pastime for many people who like to play casino games recreationally from time to time. However, many players fall into the trap of spending hours on the same game, eventually developing serious gambling issues. When enjoyed in moderation, casino games can be a great source of entertainment. As online gambling constantly evolves, even more players have access to a myriad of exciting and innovative casino games.
While gambling is not necessarily a bad thing, many players are easily tempted to spend more time and money during each gaming session. Since casinos generate their profits through player participation, they strive to make games more appealing, encouraging players to continue wagering.
Arguably, slots are among the games that attract the most attention, with the majority of players enjoying spinning the reels of various slot variations. Whether you play at a physical casino or log into your online casino account, you will most likely find a plethora of colourful, immersive and exciting slots to choose from.
Game developers are constantly working to improve the slot experience, prompting slot fans to spend hours spinning reels. While this brings casinos huge profits, gambling regulators have started to notice that slot designs can be somewhat dangerous to players. This has led some jurisdictions, such as the UK, to implement strict restrictions intended to make casino games safer by design. However, the effect of such measures remains unclear.
Design Tricks Casinos Use to Attract More Engagement
The success of online casinos largely depends on attracting more players who will spend more time wagering real money on their games. That is why gambling operators tend to join forces with some of the leading software companies in the iGaming industry. This enables players to enjoy an abundance of casino games that are highly entertaining, yet potentially addictive.
As slots are the favourite genre of most players, the majority of software developers focus on creating innovative and fun slot variations. To make their slot portfolios attractive to players, gaming companies incorporate various features into their games. Although these techniques may go unnoticed by many players, once you learn about the tricks gaming companies use, you can easily spot them in slots.
Sound Effects
If you are an avid casino visitor, you will instantly recognise the specific slot sounds triggered by coin drops or reel spins. Of course, online slots do not employ the same physical mechanisms. However, to stay relevant to the land-based experience, online slot developers include the familiar slot sounds in their games.
In addition to the authentic sounds, slots also incorporate audio effects that could trigger specific feelings in players. Whenever a winning combination is landed, no matter how big or small it is, the sounds that accompany the win will make players feel as if they have landed a major payout. As they are bombarded with so many celebratory sounds, players often fall into a “flow state”. Fully immersed, players simply chase wins without registering whether the final outcome is worth the risk.
One of the main issues arising from slot sound features is the false sense of winning they can create. Often the audio effects of a slot will indicate that players have hit a major win when in reality the payout is equal to or even smaller than the player’s original bet. Such sounds may easily push players to spend more time and money on slots, chasing the same excitement of landing a win.
Visual Effects
If slot sound effects are not enough to immerse you fully, the visuals certainly will. While you can switch off the music and sound effects, you will still see all the visual effects implemented in your favourite slots. Just as it is with other design features, visuals strive to shift your focus towards the game and keep your full attention for as long as possible.
Game developers are well aware of the science behind using flashy lights and specific colours. Typically, flashing lights are associated with celebrations, major events, or other positive feelings. Excitement often drives people to make spontaneous decisions, such as spending more money on a slot. Slot developers are fully aware of that, which is why you will often see flashing lights used as visual effects in slots.
Bright colours and action-packed animations are also very common in most new slots developed by iGaming companies. This easily hooks players, who try to trigger even more colourful and entertaining bonus features. As you may know, vibrant colours often catch the eye, which is why slot creators strive to make their games as colourful and engaging as possible.
Near Misses
Our brains are wired to strive to achieve goals and to persevere even when we fail. Unfortunately, this is a human characteristic that some game developers take advantage of. Whenever you see symbols align on adjacent reels with only the last one missing, you might feel the disappointment of failing to land the big win. The near miss that players experience is what often motivates them to continue playing.
Some slots reinforce the uneasy feeling of almost winning by displaying messages such as “Almost there”, “One more”, or “So close”. By being teased with such words, players often feel as if they have something to prove and can land a big win if they continue to play. Unfortunately, they simply fall into one of the traps slot developers set for players.
While the near-miss effect can manipulate players into spending more time and money on slots, the truth is that the longer you play, the higher the casino’s expected return will be. Meanwhile, you will be risking more money, ultimately increasing your potential long-term losses.
Autospins and Quickspins
When discussing slot design features that can affect players’ gambling behaviour, we should also cover autospins and quickspins. These options essentially allow players to control the speed of reel spins. Although slots can be very entertaining, players often fall into the pattern of spinning the reels repeatedly in pursuit of big wins. That is where the autospin and quickspin features come into action.
If you simply want to go through several spins without pressing the spin button over and over again, you can set up a specific number of autospins. The bet size that you choose before the function is triggered will apply to every autospin. However, the game will be played significantly faster as every spin will be initiated immediately after the previous result.
Even if you do not make use of the autospin feature, some slots will also allow you to speed up the game by making spins faster. Quickspin is often an option you can turn on, allowing you to see the result of every reel spin almost instantly. This is often preferred by players who play each round solely to land a big win.
However, the faster the game is played, the more spins some players tend to initiate. This ultimately increases the spins-per-hour ratio, enabling the casino to profit more in the long run. Meanwhile, more spins might cause players to go through their bankrolls more quickly.
Measures Taken to Make Slots Safer in Design
As the global gambling scene grows, gambling harm among vulnerable individuals also increases. That is why gambling regulators across different jurisdictions are taking measures to ensure safer gambling and help prevent gambling-related issues. One such authority is the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), which regulates the country’s gambling sector.
As several studies have proven the correlation between certain slot design features and potential problem gambling behaviour, the UKGC decided to introduce several measures to make the design of slots safer. While the regulatory body implemented a series of restrictions on slot features, most relate to the speed of spins. Additionally, options that could create a false sense of winning were also banned.
Following consultation with the public, key stakeholders and gambling companies, in February 2021, the UKGC introduced a package of changes in the design of slots offered by casinos licensed to operate in the UK.
- Games cannot include features that speed up spins or give a false sense of control over the results
- Slot spins cannot last less than 2.5 seconds
- No autoplay feature on slots
- No sound or visual effects should be displayed when the return is less than or equal to the player’s stake
In addition to imposing a ban on the aforementioned features, the new set of rules also included a few other changes that casino operators must comply with. As of 31 October 2021, operators are required to display the time players spend wagering during online slot sessions. Players must also be able to clearly see their total losses and wins. Additionally, the regulator banned the reversal of withdrawal requests – previously allowed – which enabled players to re-gamble money they had initially intended to withdraw.
The package of changes was introduced to ensure better consumer protection, making casino games safer. As discussed earlier, some features of slots can be very misleading, tempting players to play for longer and spend more than they had originally planned. The series of new rules will also force game developers to pay more attention to the design of their slots, making them suitable for the UK gambling market.
Do Restrictions on Slot Design Make Casino Games Safer
Although the new rules for casino game design were published in February 2021, operators had until 31 October that year to implement the required changes. During the first few months of the new slot model, the gambling industry experienced no significant change in income. Meanwhile, the slowing down of spins has definitely reduced the duration of online slot sessions.
Even though the new regulations were introduced to provide better protection for vulnerable players, many gamblers have been angered by the new online slot experience. As the autoplay feature is no longer available to British players, many have started to look for alternative options that will allow them to play multiple rounds without pressing the spin button over and over again. Auto clickers have become extremely popular, allowing players to bypass some of the latest slot restrictions imposed by the UKGC.
Although some players dislike the strict changes to slot design, others find the new regulations appropriate. There will be no more features giving players a false impression of a win when they have been paid an amount equal to or lower than their original stake. Playing without such misleading features helps you avoid being tricked into spending more time and money on slots. Moreover, displaying the time you spend playing online slots makes you aware of the length of your sessions instead of losing track of time while spinning the reels.
In conclusion, while some players dislike having to play online slots at a slower pace, others feel safer when they do so. Alongside the restrictions imposed on the design of online slots, the UKGC has also introduced new guidelines for operators to follow to ensure better consumer protection. The regulator is determined to continue working on making gambling in the UK safer. This also indicates that there are no signs the ban on certain slot features will be lifted, as they have already proven to reduce the duration of online slot sessions.
Closing Thoughts
With casinos striving to increase their profits, operators and game developers tend to use different tricks to make players spend more time placing bets on casino games. Players are often lured into investing more money and time in slots as they get fully immersed in the experience and lose track of time.
Immersive sounds and visual effects can easily give players a high that encourages them to spend more money chasing wins, while the casino’s potential profit increases. With options like autospin and quickspin, bored players can further increase the number of slot spins they can initiate in an hour. More spins equal more potential losses for players, but significantly higher profits for the casino.
As certain features incorporated in the design of slots have proven to be dangerous, prompting players to engage in harmful gambling, some jurisdictions have taken measures to ban several slot functions. As of 2021, slots at licensed UK online casinos cannot include settings that speed up play or mislead players about the outcome of spins. While some casino fans have shown disapproval of the UKGC’s new set of rules, others appreciate the additional steps taken to make gambling in the UK safer.
