including slot machines. “But we then might take fifteen or twenty seconds to actually show you that loss.”
Most of all, casinos are trying to reduce friction. In blackjack, there are natural break points; every shuffle or dealer change is an opportunity to ask yourself if you want to keep playing. There are also a lot of eyes on you. If you’re drunk or abusive, you may be asked to leave, or if you’re losing a lot, you might do so out of embarrassment. All of that creates friction. But there’s nothing stopping you from just pressing the spin button on a slot machine over and over and over again until you go broke. Slot machines create a continuous flow, making them addictive in literally the same ways that social media applications like Twitter are. A player can easily spin the reels six hundred times in an hour or more.
Subtle design choices also help reduce friction. Here’s one Schull helped me to notice. Casinos, even high-end ones like the Aria, have few right angles. Right angles create friction: an opportunity to opt out. Instead, modern casino interiors are curvy, with gaming areas flowing into one another.
