Personal Reflection: Why Are Slot Machines Popular Worldwide?

My friend asked me if I was dead since I hadn't updated. Actually, I've been busy researching a new business. Well, I went gambling.

There are two reasons: one is that influenced by Mr. R in the group, everyone suddenly started gambling instead of researching, and I was driven too; the second is that to do well in the new project, I must keep up with the times. And the fastest way to learn is to become a user myself.

I tried the Crash Game, but couldn't get into it. Eventually, I went back to slot machines: Fortune Tiger, Majong Ways, Olympus, Bounty Showdown, etc. This week, from morning till night, whether eating, driving, bathing, or lying in bed, I was always clicking. My wife said I was addicted, which is great! Because being addicted was exactly my goal. To understand the users, you have to become one of them.

So, why are slot machines popular worldwide?

First, they are lightweight with virtually no barriers to entry.

Slot machines are probably the only gambling game that doesn't require any thinking, just click to know the result. In this regard, even the so-called simple Crash Game has to call it the boss. Moreover, the auto-spin feature perfectly solves the problem of what to do when the gambling urge strikes: whether driving, bathing, or even at work, you can play anytime. Slot machines leave the complexity to the engineers and the simplicity to the users, truly a masterpiece.

Second, you lose slowly, which makes it easier to immerse.

The RTP (Return to Player) of slot machines on the market is generally above 95%, and I am most addicted to Majong Ways, which is as high as 97%. I have actually calculated that with an initial capital of 800U, spinning at 0.8U each time, it took nearly 4000 spins before the capital was exhausted. In Baccarat, one bad hand could clean you out; whereas in slot machines, the slow loss makes each bet filled with hopes of breaking even and getting rich. The book "Hooked" also mentions that the more users invest, the deeper their emotional dependency on the product.

Imagine, when you are clicking on slot machines 24 hours a day, this desire to win money soon becomes a comfort zone for the brain. And at the moment when the capital is depleted, a strong sense of emptiness hits, and your first reaction is often not to stop, but to continue recharging back to the comfort zone.

Third, small bets, explosive rewards.

I've summed it up in one sentence: Once you've seen a big win with your own eyes, it's hard to quit. Even if the overall account is already severely in the red, you can't let go.

The charm of slot machines lies in betting small: even with just one spin, you might multiply your winnings by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands during a Free game. In my 4000 spins, I've witnessed several hundred-fold scenes multiple times, which is the root of my addiction.

Every bet I place, my only expectation is: to hit the jackpot. This setting perfectly matches the collective fantasy of the poor hoping to turn their lives around.

This mechanism continuously creates myths of getting rich overnight: like the recent Sugar Rush game where 240U won 6 million U (video in this article). Survivorship bias has become the best advertisement for slot machines, attracting batches of new players.

However, every time before researching, I set a rule: the capital will definitely be lost. Otherwise, once you get caught up, you might wake up having lost everything...

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