Abstract:
Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) are thought to be the predominant source of gambling harm. To reduce such harm and, instead, prompt responsible gambling, all EGMs in New Zealand have a pop-up message feature that interrupts extensive gambling sessions. These pop-up messages typically detail a summary of the total time spent playing, the total credits that have been spent, won, and are remaining, for each gambling session. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of pop-up messages on gambling behaviour, and whether their effects were enhanced by contingencies between the pop-up message and a sequence of wins or losses. Participants played an EGM simulation where a pop-up message was absent, and where a pop-up message was contingent on time, on a winning sequence, or on a losing streak. There was no systematic effect of pop-up messages on gambling behaviour observed. However, our findings provided insight on why pop-up messages were ineffective in modulating gambling behaviour, and in turn, we proposed features that could make pop-up messages effective. The present study focused on the signalling properties of pop-up messages, and how signals can exert stimulus control through the information it provides on the possible outcomes within a gambling context. The value of a signal is determined by the salience of its correlation with the outcomes within the context. Thus, the present study highlighted an importance for investigating ways in which the pop-up messages can signal the likely outcomes within the constraints of a context where the outcomes occur by chance.
