Abstract

There is large uncertainty surrounding Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) and their potential contribution towards disordered gambling. As a result, gambling authorities have called for investigations assessing the efficacy of measures aimed towards increasing player protection during electronic gambling. Losses, compared to equivalent gains, have been shown to have greater impact on emotion and behaviour in a wide array of human experiences outside of gambling. If this is found in electronic gambling, and if losses negatively impact gambling behaviour, e.g. by facilitating loss-chasing behaviours, this supports the use of measures aimed at early detection of losses to prevent problematic gambling behaviours escalating. Thirty participants took part in a repeated-measures experiment, where they gambled on the outcome of a computer-simulated EGM. The series of wins and losses were manipulated by the experimenter to induce winning and losing streaks. Participants gambled at a significantly faster speed, a higher average stake size, and an overall higher betting intensity in the loss condition compared to the win condition, demonstrating losses as having a negative impact on within session gambling behaviour during electronic gambling. The use of algorithmic software to detect losing streaks during EGM play, which triggers gambling harm-minimisation strategies accordingly, thus, receives empirical support.