Report Confirms Gaming Corp. on the Right Track

A study of the effectiveness of four responsible gaming features installed on new video lottery terminals in Nova Scotia in 2001 was released today, Oct. 25, by the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. The report showed that three of the features had a positive influence on player behaviours, attitudes and perceptions and one feature was ineffective.

The four features include a permanent clock, pop-up reminders advising players how long they've been playing, a cash display showing actual money wagered instead of credits and a mandatory cash-out.

The most effective feature was the 60-minute pop-up reminder, which was linked to a decrease in the length of time spent playing for some players. Two other features, the permanent clock and the cash display, helped some players be better aware of the amount of money and time they were spending on the VLTs.

Specifically, the amount of time spent playing VLTs at one sitting dropped by 16 per cent on the new VLTs. About 40 per cent of players felt that the clock helped them better manage the amount of time they spent playing. Almost 50 per cent per cent said that the cash display helped them keep track of the money they spent.

The study concluded that the mandatory cash-out feature didn't affect player behaviour.

The researchers, Focal Research Consultants Ltd., also provided 13 recommendations on how the features could be improved. They ranged from making the permanent clock more distinctive to letting players set their own time limits. The Gaming Corporation expects to implement many of these recommendations over the next six to 12 months.

The report also provided other valuable information for the Gaming Corporation to consider, such as the importance of player budgeting. This insight will assist the corporation in future responsible gaming initiatives.

Nova Scotia was the first gaming jurisdiction in North America to introduce these features. Since then, many other jurisdictions in Canada are following suit.

The full report is available on the Gaming Corporation's Web site, at www.gamingcorp.ns.ca , under the responsible gaming section.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The following is a backgrounder that includes highlights of the report.

VLT Responsible Gaming In October 2000, NSGC learned that suppliers could no longer properly service Nova Scotia's existing VLTs because of their age (about 10 years old).

In May 2001, NSGC began replacing its old VLTs with new ones that had four responsible gaming features.

Nova Scotia was the first gaming jurisdiction in North America to use these features. Consequently, these features, although mandatory, were unproven.

In May 2001, Focal Research Consultants Research Ltd. was retained to examine the impact that the four features had on VLT play.

Focal has been involved in numerous problem gambling prevalence and behaviour studies and has presented their work at a number of international conferences.

The features were intended to slow and interrupt play and provide reality checks to players. They include:

• Permanent Clock: Reminding players of the actual time of day.

• Cash vs. Credits: Showing amounts wagered in dollars instead of credits.

• Pop-up Reminders: Pop-up reminders after 60, 90 and 120 minutes advising players how long they've been playing and asking if they want to continue to play.

• Mandatory Cash Out: A mandatory cash out that forces players to cash out their winnings after 150 minutes of continuous play.

Focal Research Consultants Ltd. Report

• Focal collected data from players in four phases over eight months (May 2001 to February 2002).

• During that time, there was a combination of the old VLTs and the new VLTs with the responsible gaming features available to players.

• Two primary segments were considered: 1) people who continued to play the old VLTs most of the time: and 2) people who played the new VLTs most of the time. It is primarily comparisons between these two groups upon which the findings are based.

Key Findings Associated with Playing the New VLTs

• Features integrated into the play of VLTs can positively modify player behaviour.

• Players of the new VLTs reported a better tracking of time and money spent.

• Players of the new VLTs showed a decline in number of minutes spent playing the VLTs in one sitting.

• The amount of money that players spent in one sitting on average stayed the same.

• Some of the players have behaviours entrenched in the way they play, causing them to avoid seeing some of the responsible gaming features. These include frequent cashing out, running cash to zero, and chasing losses.

• More-frequent players tended to use the new VLTs.

Feature-specific Findings

• The 60-minute pop-up reminder contributed to a decrease in the length of time played and the amount of money spent for high-risk players.

• The permanent clock helped players keep track of time and not to play longer than they wanted. Focal Research thought that this feature might have a greater effect over time as exposure to it increased.

• The use of cash versus credits helps players keep better track of time spent playing.

• The 90- and 120-minute pop-up reminders and the mandatory cash out did not affect play.

Recommendations

On-screen permanent clock

• Ensure clock has permanent, similar location on every VLT .
• Make the clock more distinctive.
• Link clock with option for player to actively set time limits before starting to play.

Cash Display

• Keep the cash display.
• Provide information about the change from displaying credits to displaying cash to players.
• Consider linking the cash display to setting a budget prior to play.

Pop-up reminders

• Keep pop-up reminders.
• Have messages stay on the screen until player responds to question, rather than automatically disappearing after one minute.
• Have messages freeze on the screen for 15 seconds to help prolong the break in play.
• Consider introducing pop-up reminders every 30 minutes and link them to time of day.

Mandatory Cash Out

• Link the warning to total time played rather than consecutive time played.
• Give a longer warning period (i.e., 15 minutes vs. five minutes).
• Consider linking mandatory cash out to amount of money won.