Two Studies Examine Effects of Altering Features on Video Lottery Terminals on Erroneous Beliefs and Gambling Behavior
Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) are electronic gaming machines that give players the option to participate in an assortment of games at a convenient location. Gamblers may choose between various attractions, including roulette and card games. VLTs are legal in many American states and Canadian provinces. Recent studies have shown that the lights, sounds, and ability to easily switch from game to game on VLTs may indicate why disordered gamblers prefer VLTs to other forms of gambling.
Two recent studies may provide information on why disordered gamblers do prefer the VLTs, and implications for how VLTs may be altered to encourage gamblers to carefully consider options and the number of games they choose to play.
One study conducted by Cloutier, Ladouceur, and Sevigny in 2006 sought to determine whether pop-up messages correcting misconceptions about gambling would improve participants’ level of erroneous beliefs.
Cloutier et al. gave the Inventory of Erroneous Beliefs Related to Gambling to 768 undergraduate students at Laval University. The 40 students who rated highest on the erroneous beliefs about gambling questionnaire were chosen for further evaluation.
The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The control group received a 7 second pause after every 15 games and the experimental group received a pop-up message correcting erroneous beliefs about gambling after every 15 games.
At the conclusion of the study, each participant was asked to complete the Inventory of Erroneous Beliefs Related to Gambling again to measure whether the number of participants’ number of erroneous beliefs had been altered.
The study found that the experimental group (the group that was given pop-up messages) had a considerable decrease in erroneous beliefs compared to the control group. The number of games played did not differ between the experimental and control groups.
A second study, conducted by Laduceur and Sevigny in 2005, gathered participants using newspaper ads and bulletin boards in Quebec City and on the Laval University Campus. The participants were occasional video lottery gamblers who gambled using a VLT less than once per month.
The researchers randomized the 38 participants into the experimental group, in which players used a VLT with a stopping device that allowed the player to stop play but did not affect the outcome of the game, or the control group, whose VLTs had no stopping devices. All VLTs were programmed to give the participants the same series of wins and losses.
The experimental group participants played twice as many games as the participants in the control group. Almost one-third of the experimental group indicated that they believed that utilizing the stopping device actually increased their chances of winning.
Together, these two studies show that altering features of VLTs may affect the behavior of players who are uninformed about gambling and offer an opportunity for players to consider their options more clearly. Future research could greatly benefit in understanding the patterns of problem gamblers who prefer VLTs.
Tags: gambling addiction
