Researchers at the University of Waterloo‘s Gambling Research Lab are trying to wean gamblers off slot machines, or at least 
create a more-educated player. They’re focusing on “losses disguised as wins” or LDWs. That’s when you wager $2 and “win” $1.50 back, never mind that you’re 50 cents in the hole. The educational device is a series of videos. The rate of LDWs boils down to 180 per hour (as opposed to 140 actual wins), a stat the Total Rewards boys probably don’t want you to know.
Here at S&G, we’re all for you playing the slots but, if the U of Waterloo boffins create a better-informed class of slot player, that’d be a good thing indeed. We want you to have a good time — but not lose your shirt. The Canadian academics said players who watched their videos “not only remembered their actual number of wins more correctly, but they were also more capable of labelling losses disguised as wins during slot machine play.” Players who didn’t watch the video mischaracterized LDWs as wins 23% of the time, while who did watch were able to identify actual wins as 12%.
In an unflattering comparison, the professors write, “Interestingly, intracranial recording in monkeys have shown that phasic activation in dopamine (DA) neurons correspond to 
the predictability of reward outcome. Specifically, activation is greatest when cue signals predict that rewards will occur on 50% of outcomes … Given that researchers previously showed that non-zero outcomes (i.e. wins and LDWs) can occur on close to 50% of spins on commercially available slot machines, LDWs could potentially activate the DA system if one miscategorizes these outcomes as wins rather than losses.”
The bottom line with the Waterloo profs is to prevent players from chasing losses. As research director Michael Dixon told Science Daily, “One of the keys to gambling-harm prevention is to curtail misperceptions before they become ingrained in the minds of gamblers. By exposing these outcomes for what they are, our study shows a way in which we can lead slots gamblers to have a more realistic view of their gambling experiences and possibly prevent problems down the road.” Amen to that.
* While Las Vegas Metro and MGM Resorts International wrangle over the timeline of Stephen Paddock‘s ambush of concertgoers, the New York Times has mashed up 30 on-the-scene videos to create its own timeline of the horrific event. Expect sobering deconstructions of the event such as this to crop up in litigation related to the shooting.
* A coalition of five unions negotiated an extraordinarily george collective-bargaining pact with Horseshoe Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun has all the numbers (and what dizzying numbers 
they are) but what stands out is that table-game dealers, represented by the UAW, got a piece of the action. Their salaries (not including tips) will climb to $6.30 an hour, plus a $1.75 knowledge bonus for the better-informed dealers. Now, why is it that dealers can be unionized in Baltimore and not in Las Vegas? The relegation of Sin City dealers to second-class citizenry is one of the ongoing blotches on the casino industry, especially since one of the worst offenders is Caesars Entertainment, parent of Horseshoe.
In other Free State news, Maryland Live is becoming Live Hotel & Casinos (as opposed to Dead Hotel & Casino?). Cordish Gaming execs hope, somewhat delusionally, that the addition of a hotel tower will enable them to grab the top spot in Maryland back from MGM National Harbor. That’s not in the cards, methinks. Once completed, Live is expected to become the go-to spot for high school graduations. “No longer would those parents have to travel all over creation to see their children cross the stage in a cap and gown,” said County Executive Steven R. Schuh (R).
* Addition of a convention center to the Stratosphere is all but assured once Golden Entertainment takes over ownership.
