Psychology, Design and Economics of Slot-Machines

6 writes "Technology isn't just about design and hardware; sometimes it's about psychology, politics, sociology, and economics. The website of Stanford design prof Michael Shanks is hosting a student project by William Choi and Antoine Sindhu, a fascinating online course about slot machines. From the site: 'Much research has been devoted to studying gambling behavior from various points of view, including the psychological, social, economic, and political bases and implications of gambling ... [just the same,] focusing on slot machines reveals and inspires the study of many sociological issues that have come to express themselves specifically and notably on these machines. Here, we examine a number of these issues, attempting to link slot machines to them in an effort to better understand and explain them.'"

Comments

Re:Oh, it's a student project

[Vicissidude]

It's a student project, and it shows.

I agree. Having actually worked at a casino on the slots, I find the article lacking and in one area outright false. They say nothing about how the individual slot machines and their network actually works. Further, they are wrong in that casinos do not operate under a "laissez-faire" or unregulated free-market economy. The idea that casinos operate under "minimal government regulation" is so ridiculous as to be completely laughable.

Casino gambling is one of the most highly regulated industries in our nation. Every worker who applies to work at a casino has to fill out a literal inch of paperwork, just for the background check. They have to supply a ten year work history, and you are told not to skip any months. Their fingerprints are taken and supplied to federal databases. Those fingerprints are compared to see if any matches come up, and then they are permanently stored for future reference. If any problems come up in your record, then it's very likely you will not be licensed to work there.

Once you are actually hired, that only begins the regulations. There are literally regulations for everything that a employee can and can not do, even after work. Those regulations are monitored by surveillance, casino management, state authorities, and the feds. Breaking those regulations could mean a suspension, pulling your license (effectively firing you), or even jail time. Casino gambling used to be controlled by the mob, so the authorities are deadly serious about making sure everything is done legally.