A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as a keyway in machinery or a slit for a coin in a machine. Also: a position or assignment in a group, series, sequence, etc.
In a slot machine, a player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into a slot. The machine then activates reels that display symbols and pays out credits according to the paytable. Typically, the game’s theme influences the symbols and bonus features.
Despite the widespread popularity of slots, not all players are equally fond of them. Some may find them addictive, leading to harmful behaviors such as compulsive gambling. Other players may enjoy the games as a way to distract themselves from painful emotional experiences that are associated with depressive or anxious symptoms (Abbot & Volberg, 1996; Getty, Watson, & Frisch, 2000).
Ultimately, the success of slot machines depends on their ability to capture and captivate the player’s attention, but there is much more to the story than this simple dichotomy. In this article, we use empirical research to shed light on the factors that influence enjoyment of slots. We show that prior behavioral trends, arousal, and dark flow each contribute to different aspects of enjoyment, and we provide evidence that reward reactivity can account for some of the effects reported in Dixon et al. (2019). In short, we argue that the current model of slot enjoyment is incomplete without taking into account reward reactivity.