Dark Flow, Depression and Multiline Slot Machine Play

Abstract

Multiline slot machines allow for a unique outcome type referred to as a loss disguised as a win (LDW). An LDW occurs when a player gains credits on a spin, but fewer credits than their original wager (e.g. 15-cent gain on a 20-cent wager). These outcomes alter the gambler’s play experience by providing frequent, albeit smaller, credit gains throughout a playing session that are in fact net losses. Despite this negative overall value, research has shown that players physiologically respond to LDWs as if they are wins, not losses. These outcomes also create a “smoother” experience for the player that seems to promote a highly absorbing, flow-like state that we have called “dark flow”. Past research has indicated that there may be a relationship between problem gambling status and dark flow, as well as between dark flow, depression, and gambling expectancies. In this study, we sought to further understand these relationships, while examining the influence of LDWs on game preference in the context of single versus multiline slots play. We used a realistic slot machine simulator equipped with a force transducer to measure how hard players pressed the spin button following different outcomes. This measure of arousal showed that LDWs were treated similarly to small wins. Participants overwhelmingly preferred the multiline game and experienced more positive affect while playing it, compared to the single-line game. Problem gambling severity index scores were related to dark flow in both games, but this relationship was stronger for the multiline game. Additionally, depression symptomatology and dark flow were strongly correlated in the multiline game, with significant relationships between depression and gambling expectancy, and gambling expectancy and dark flow ratings also emerging.

Zoned in or zoned out? Investigating immersion in slot machine gambling using mobile eye‐tracking

“…may be more productive for research and less stigmatizing than an approach that treats immersion as uniquely mollifying and solely achievable through gambling. To that end, we recommend adopting the terms ‘immersion’ or ‘flow’ to describe the experience.…”

“…Immersion is a feeling of intense focus on a particular activity that reduces attention to competing goals and stimuli. Although viewed as desirable in many occupational and recreational contexts , immersion in gambling activities is a robust predictor of problem gambling risk . Slot machine gambling may be especially immersive: an Australian survey found that 79% of gambling‐related immersion experiences involved slot machines .…”

“…Recently, authors have called for clarity in defining slot machine immersion . Previous work has characterized this state as ‘dissociation’ , the ‘machine zone’ or ‘flow’ . These accounts all highlight a trance‐like state that interferes with gamblers’ awareness of peripheral events (e.g.…”

“…We looked for relationships between slot machine outcomes and immersion. Lastly, we examined whether immersion was related to gambling‐related cognitions, negative affect or symptoms of adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ; see Supporting information, S3) that have correlated with immersion in past research.…”

Win-concurrent sensory cues can promote riskier choice

“…The adaptive gain theory postulates that intermediate levels of tonic LC neuron firing and high phasic spiking facilitate exploitation of the task at hand, whereas high tonic LC activity and low levels of phasic spiking promote disengagement from the task and exploration of alternatives (Aston-Jones and Cohen, 2005). This could be relevant to disordered gambling, as playing modern electronic gambling machines that feature intense sensory stimulation has been associated with states of heightened engagement and immersion in problem gamblers, referred to as the "machine zone" or "dark flow" (Schüll, 2012;Dixon et al, 2014;Dixon et al, 2017). The hypothesis that sensory reward cues could promote immersion via noradrenergic modulation can be tested in future human and animal pharmacological challenge studies, as well as experiments using pupillometry.…”