If you are old enough to remember, and unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) this columnist is, many of the simple pleasures of life were once upon a time a waiting game.
Being a fan of a particular TV program, for example, meant you knew exactly what day, what channel, and what time it was on, and you planned accordingly. If you missed it, too bad. Then your only shot of catching it would be during summer reruns.
There were three television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC. The competition was fierce among them for the prime time viewing audience and the most-watched shows.
There was something special about looking forward to the next show or the next episode. It was the anticipation, sharing with friends and co-workers about what everyone thought would happen next.
The big build up to the season finale was inevitable. Then it became a waiting game for the ballyhooed fall premier season, which every network promoted to the max.
“Who shot J.R.?” was the question everyone asked during the summer of 1980 when the second season of the TV soap “Dallas” concluded with a shocking episode. CBS squeezed every bit of hype out of it in anticipation of the answer in the fall premier.
Or how about movie releases? Miss it at the theaters and you were sunk until (maybe) it would pop on TV as the much heralded “Movie of the Week” a couple of years later.
Does anyone remember the once-a-year network TV showing of “The Wizard of Oz” and how everyone looked forward and planned their evening around it? Probably not.
The phenomenon of instant gratification, inevitable fallout from our brave new world, changed everything. New seasons of popular shows are released as a package for fans to watch to their heart’s content in a single day. Then what?
Any movie, any TV show, any season of episodes, is available anytime at the touch of a button at the convenience of the user.
As for the practice of binge watching, I’ve never been a fan. I am content watching an episode, savoring it, and then waiting (eagerly I may add) to watch the next one. The simple pleasure of waiting is just too ingrained in me.
So, what’s the point, you ask, of this little visit to some of the ghosts of multi-media past, and what have they to do with gambling? Fact is, instant gratification is and always has been among the much sought after rewards for those with a propensity to place a bet.
The abundance of betting propositions within games in the sports world, as well as the increased entertainment enhancements in slot and even table game play, fulfill the instant gratification needs of gamblers in ways never before thought possible.
Long before the expansion of state regulated casinos and tribal gaming, horse racing was the legal gambling of choice. Tens of thousands of fans filled the stands on a daily basis to watch and wager on the ponies. Horses and jockeys were national celebrities, major races were headline news.
Horse racing, is, however, a watch and wait game. Bet and watch a race, then wait up to half an hour for the next one. Once casinos took over the entertainment spotlight, the waiting game was over. Instant gratification won over the gamblers in a big way.
Horse racing tried to fight back with simulcast betting from other tracks around the country to keep the fans engrossed, and even the phenomenon of racinos (combined horse racing and casino venues) appeared in major markets, but it was too late.
Once wagering on collegiate and professional sports was legalized, horse racing came in last. Oh sure, the possibility of wagering within horse races themselves, such as betting on the leader at the opening quarter and half, over/under on fractional times, or in what place the favorite will finish, could stir up interest, but it’s a longshot.
The slots and tables, followed by sports betting, began to satisfy that insatiable urge among people to engage in risk taking, which ultimately makes gambling so popular. Risk taking is, according to psychologists, basic to being human.
Which brings us back to instant gratification. The spin of a slot, the roll of the dice, the turn of a card, provides immediate feedback on the result of risk taking. This in turn reinforces gambling behavior. Instant gratification plays a very prominent and impactful role in the science of gambling.
Many of the game mechanics on slot machine play developed through the years, including multi-line/multi-coin wagering capability, bonus features, true persistence, perceived persistence, and most recently, buy-a feature, build upon instant gratification and at the same time give gamblers the illusion of control.
In a study titled “The Mind of a Gambler: Understanding Psychological Triggers and Impulses” on the website AP Psychology, it says “the illusion of control is one of the most notorious cognitive biases present in gamblers. This bias makes gamblers think that they have the ability to control the result of participating in a gambling activity by putting in skills, effort, or strategies, despite the game being purely random….”.
Citing information derived from “The Role of Dopamine in Reward and Addiction: From Neuroscience to Implications for Understanding Gambling Behavior”, it continues that “dopamine is a pleasure and reward chemical mainly within the brain that has been associated with gambling’.
Studies have revealed that there is a psychological condition which is triggered by the experience of a person winning a bet. This ‘high” is a feeling that emphasizes the action, and one will go on gambling once again, hoping to get the same high”.
Studies also reveal that a near-miss experience (i.e., where a loss is almost a win) can also influence the release of dopamine and trigger continued gambling despite encountering more losses than wins.
Ultimately it is the instant gratification factor that wields the most force in gambling. Waiting for a jackpot at the slots was replaced by waiting for a bonus feature. Waiting for a bonus feature was replaced by buy-a-feature. What will be next?
Every attempt at eliminating the waiting game and replacing it with instant gratification tends to keep gamblers engaged. Keeping gamblers engaged in anticipation of the next result drives time on device and ultimately the property’s revenue stream.
