One-armed bandits, fruit-machines or, as we all know ‘em, slot machines are very popular both in online and brick and mortar casinos. Ever since they were created near the end of the 19th century, these machines’ popularity was on an exponential rise. It was sprung by many governments who passed bills to legalize them, since the potential tax revenue seemed pretty big.
Modern slot machines are far less mechanical than their ancestors, as they kept incorporating the latest technological developments over the years, to the point that they can now be completely digital. With the advent of the internet casinos even started offering online slots, like https://www.simbagames.co.uk/slots/ and people loved them.
But why are these devices so popular when there are literally dozens of other games available? We’ll need to take a closer look at the nature of slot machines and their effect on human behaviour to find the answer to that question.
They Became the Part of the Culture
Slot machines have been with us so long that we have adopted them as part of the culture. This is simply because people have always enjoyed games, especially the ones that involve a certain dose of thrill and risk.
Slot machines really hit the sweet spot between risk and reward, as they allow people to feel secure by providing them a sense of routine and safety – commodities that are rarely found in the modern world, where nobody is immune to anxiety anymore.
Furthermore, the slots have an emotional, as well as a physical and psychological component.
Slot Machines and Human Emotions
Everyone has some kind of beliefs regarding luck and fate. Slot machines are built in such a way that they bring those beliefs up in the people who play them. It is a fact that slot games are regarded as the most random casino game ever, and when so much randomness is involved in a casino game people like to contribute all sorts of things to their winnings. When it comes to slots, people feel that the outcome depends on variety of different things.
On the other hand, winning on a slot machine involves very little effort. When compared to other casino games where people have to work for their money, slots are absolute winners. The only effort one has to make is a spin, a spin that is maybe worth 10 times more than the invested money. And what’s even more important, a player can win several times during just one session.
The wish to win big, in combination with the thrill unique to slot machines is what makes people keep playing and returning to slot machines.
Slot Machines and Human Psychology
Have you ever use a slot machine before? If you have, then you know that they require very little thought. Many people who enjoy playing slot machines exclusively report that they zone out while they are in front of the machine.
“It’s like being in the eye of a storm” – they report – “The whole world disappears, you can’t hear a thing, and you are only focused on the machine in front of you. And that’s what you perceive, you and a slot machine. Nothing more.”
Slot machines also allow players to be as careless as they want and that’s exactly what makes them unique, but they have another psychological card up their sleeves. What happens when you win? Lights, applause, music, horns and what not. In a casino, you won’t be able to find any other game that cheers for you like the slot machine does.
Rapid, Solitary and Continuous Gameplay
Unlike other games, such as Blackjack, roulette or poker, slot machines allow people to play without any interruptions. Once you tilt the bandit’s arm (whether it is a digital or real one) you don’t have to wait for other players’ bets, you can go directly from one hand to the other as smoothly as possible. Why? Because there is not a single stop point within this game.
This also applies when you have to put the bills in the machine. Online, you can pay with a credit card and use the credit to play. On the physical alcohol-soaked casinos floors, where Flaskaholic claims hip flasks are becoming a necessity due to strict comp drinks policies, there are machines that take money directly, as well as ones that operate on barcoded tickets.
These are the main reasons that stand behind the unparalleled popularity of slot machines. They definitely offer an attractive game to people and a chance to win a huge jackpot with a big and loud cheer.
