Skill gambling machines and electronic gaming machines: participation, erroneous beliefs, and understanding of outcomes

ABSTRACT

Skill-based gaming machines (SGMs) include a skill-element within the random mechanisms of electronic gaming machines (EGMs). Concerns have been expressed that SGMs may increase erroneous beliefs among gamblers, which would exacerbate gambling problems. This paper presents the results of a survey of 184 Mechanical Turk workers with access to SGMs. Exploratory analyses were conducted on measures assessing understanding of the role of skill vs. chance in determining outcomes in SGMs, EGMs, and other gambling and gaming activities, gambling participation, problem gambling severity, and gambling-specific erroneous beliefs. SGM play was greater among participants who were younger, more frequently played mobile games or gambled on EGMs, and had higher problem gambling severity. Participants with prior SGM play experience did not have a greater understanding of SGMs, and had less accurate understanding of how EGMs operate, yet had a higher self-reported understanding. The results suggest that individuals with existing gambling problems may gamble on SGMs and that SGMs may also appeal to a new cohort who do not engage with existing gambling activities. Greater efforts are needed to enhance understanding of EGMs in addition to SGMs where these are available to enabled informed decision-making and reduce erroneous beliefs that may drive problematic play.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronic gaming machines
• erroneous beliefs
• game
• irrational beliefs
• skill

Disclosure statements

Competing interests

Sally Gainsbury is the Editor of International Gambling Studies and were blinded from the review and editorial process. Her competing interests are declared on the IGS website.

Since 2016, Kahlil Philander has received research funds from the Washington State Gaming Commission, Manitoba Gambling Research Program, UNLV International Centre for Gaming Regulation, U.S.-Japan Business Council, Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. He has received consulting payments from British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Responsible Gambling Council of Canada, Intralot, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, West Virginia Lottery, Indiana Gaming Commission, and iDevelopment and Economic Association. He has received reimbursement for travel from the National Conference of State Legislators, National Council for Problem Gambling, International Association of Gaming Advisors, National Centre for Responsible Gambling, Responsible Gambling Council of Canada, North American State and Provincial Lottery Association, Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling, Global Gaming Expo Asia, and Alberta Gambling Research Institute. He is a member of the National Council for Problem Gambling, and formerly was the Director of Social Responsibility at the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

Georgia Grattan has no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TPA6U.

Open scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badges for Open Data and Open Materials through Open Practices Disclosure. The data and materials are openly accessible at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TPA6U.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award [DE1060100459] awarded to Dr. Sally Gainsbury. ARC had no involvement in any aspects of the research including, but not limited to, the research questions, methodology, research conduct, or analysis of results.

Notes on contributors

Sally M. Gainsbury

Dr. Sally M. Gainsbury is Associate Professor in the School of Psychology and Co-Director of the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic within the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of new technology on gambling and behavioral addictions and interventions to minimize harms.

Kahlil S. Philander

Kahlil S. Philander is an Assistant Professor at Washington State University’s Carson College of Business, and an Honorary Lecturer at the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney. His research interests are in the socio-economic impacts of gambling.

Georgia Grattan

Georgia Grattan was a student at the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic at the University of Sydney. She is currently completing the final year of a Master of Clinical Psychology at Queensland University of Technology