The world-wide development of gaming machines has
seen a large number of machine characteristics
become an inherent part of gaming machine play. This
book undertakes an examination of the relationship
between the structural characteristics of gaming
machines and player expenditure patterns. The book
highlights original research that utilises player
data from over 1000 Australian slot machines. The
results suggest that both measures of expenditure
examined, stake size and net profit, are related to
machine characteristics. This finding provides a
foundation for the discussion of individual player
behaviour encompassing both learning and cognitive
explanations of behaviour. A second study examines
the expenditure patterns of over 500 individual
players on Australian slot machines. The results
indicated that certain slot machine characteristics
are related to the amount staked, but not directly
to the player's net loss. These results are
discussed in the context of popular psychological
explanations of human behaviour.