Losses disguised as wins in modern multi-line video slot machines
Mike Dixon, Kevin Harrigan, Rajwant Sandhu, Karen Collins and Jonathan Fugelsang asked whether a spin on a multi-line slot machine that returns less than the stake, but wins on one line, is as arousing as a real win. They called these outcomes losses disguised as wins. Forty novice players, aged 19 to 30, played a modified commercial multi-line game, betting the maximum of 15 lines at 5 credits each, while skin conductance and heart rate were recorded. Wins came on 15.6 per cent of spins, disguised losses on 17.1 per cent and ordinary losses on 67.3 per cent. Skin conductance responses to wins and disguised losses were similar, and both were significantly larger than those to ordinary losses. Heart rate separated genuine wins from the other outcomes only, and only at one measured interval. The authors suggest that the heightened arousal after these losses may have implications for the development of problem gambling. The study measures arousal in a laboratory session with novices on a single machine, not later play, spending or gambling problems.
Mike Dixon, Kevin Harrigan, Rajwant Sandhu, Karen Collins and Jonathan Fugelsang asked whether a spin on a multi-line slot machine that returns less than the stake, but wins on one line, is as arousing as a real win. They called these outcomes losses disguised as wins. Forty novice players, aged 19 to 30, played a modified commercial multi-line game, betting the maximum of 15 lines at 5 credits each, while skin conductance and heart rate were recorded. Wins came on 15.6 per cent of spins, disguised losses on 17.1 per cent and ordinary losses on 67.3 per cent. Skin conductance responses to wins and disguised losses were similar, and both were significantly larger than those to ordinary losses. Heart rate separated genuine wins from the other outcomes only, and only at one measured interval. The authors suggest that the heightened arousal after these losses may have implications for the development of problem gambling. The study measures arousal in a laboratory session with novices on a single machine, not later play, spending or gambling problems.
Written from the full text read 2026-10-22 at the University of Waterloo lab copy of the paper.
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Dixon, M. J., Harrigan, K. A., Sandhu, R., Collins, K., & Fugelsang, J. A. (2010). Losses disguised as wins in modern multi-line video slot machines. Addiction. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03050.x.