EGM Jackpots and Player Behaviour: An In-venue Shadowing Study

Although electronic gaming machine (EGM) jackpots are widespread, little research has yet considered the impact of this feature on gamblers’ behaviour. We present the results of an in-venue shadowing study, which provided measures of player investment and persistence (e.g. number of spins, time-on-machine) from participants undertaking one or more EGM sessions on their choice of machines. 234 participants (162 female) were recruited in-venue, with half (stratified by age and gender) primed by answering questions encouraging ’big-win’ oriented ideation. Primed participants were more likely to select jackpot-oriented EGMs, and primed at-risk [Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) > 4] gamblers tended to select machines with a higher median jackpot prize amount than others (\(W=\hbox {18,423}, p=0.003\)). Neither PGSI nor priming was associated with the rate at which participants switched machines. EGM jackpots were associated with great spend overall, and PGSI score was associated with a greater spend per play. Positive interactions were found between jackpots and PGSI, and PGSI and priming in terms of predicting greater persistence. Finally a structural model of session level variables is presented, that incorporates positive feedback between money won and number of plays in an EGM session.