Slots Technology IS Aiming to Help Gamblers to Know When to Stop

Some people find that they get carried away when they are at the casino, and before they know it they have gone over the ‘budget’ they set for themselves the lure of the gaming is to much.

How nice it would be if they had something that tracks and limits their betting by using an on-screen display of their actions.

Currently its not possible at any of he U.S. Cainos, however that is about to change because Massachusetts gambling regulators want to curb gambling addiction and have asked that they're ready to launch the first-in-the-nation system that allows slot players to be able to limit their bets over time.

Players will be able to use their casino reward card at the slot machine they are playing at, will be given an onscreen prompt to be able to set a budget for a day, a week or even a month. The technology is called "Play My Way," a name that Massachusetts has given for this new feature. The funding of almost $200,000 for this development came from the State’s funding for their annual assessment on casino operators.

This development will be tested at Plainridge Park, which is a slot parlour that harnesses racing track in Plainville. This is the first casino in Massachusetts that will test this new feature beginning at the end of May said the regulator.

Stephen Crosby the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman said that this had never been done before in he U.S. And has never been successful in any jurisdiction in the world.

The development has received an update in its progress, the development of this project had to be started from scratch, everything from the software design through to marketing materials.

If this is successful then future casinos that will be built in the state, such as the developments by Wynn and MGM, would then be obligated to adopt this feature.

The American Gaming Association, who is an casino industry trade group, voiced concerns regarding the technology, they suggested that it hadn't been proved effective at many casinos in Canada, Australia, Norway, Sweden and other countries where it was tested over the years.

The association has pointed to Nova Scotia a Canadian province, who discontinued their program after almost nine years, they had cited low usage and decline in gambling revenues.

The Gaming Commission Director of Research and Responsible Gaming In Massachusetts, Mark Van der Linden, noted that the Nova Scotia's system was far more stringent than that proposed by Massachusetts.

He noted that the program was mandatory and was imposed on all the slot machine players plus no adjustment on limits. Contrasting "Play My Way" is a voluntary system.

Should gamblers choose to enroll, they will receive an automatic notification when they are approaching 50% and 75% of their limit. Players will never be cut off from betting. When a player hit their limit, they will receive an onscreen prompt that would ask them simply if they want to stop gambling or to keep playing. Players also have the option of being able to change their limit or even to unenroll if they wished at any time.

Mr Van der Linden added that his office would be closely monitoring the efforts to measure the effectiveness at Plainridge Park. They will also be watching a similar system that is being piloted at OLG Slots at Georgian Downs, Ontario.

"Play My Way" and other "play management" systems are distinct from the "self-exclusion" policies that are in place at Plainridge Park and many U.S. casinos. The programs at these casino place bars on enrolled gamblers which stops players from betting on any casino games.