Research carried out by The Behavioural Insights Team has revealed that there is a distinct lack of understanding of current return to player (RTP) statements for gamblers who play online slots and that this can lead them to take more risks than they would normally do.
Simplified odds in £ terms led to greater understanding and less willingness to take risks
For the study, the Behavioural Insights Team created an online slot game and studied the gambling activity of 5,311 participants as they played. The group was divided into segments that were each presented with RTP information in a variety of formats. This included simpler odds presented as potential losses in £ totals and slight changes such as making the RTP information more prominent or highlighting/changing the colour of the RTP text.
Half of all participants were also presented with free spins to see how this would impact their activity and whether or not it encouraged gamblers to take more risks than usual.
The research found that the simplified odds information led to a 3% increase in the understanding of the risks involved to 14% of all players in the segment. This led to the number of people willing to continue playing the game dropping by 7% to 68% of the segment.
Researchers also noted that presenting RTP information in the way that it is currently presented by the industry increased misunderstanding of the risks involved by 11% up to 32% of that segment’s participants.
Meanwhile free spins encouraged even those who understood the odds and the risk involved to play more. According to the research this resulted in 75% of participants opting to play, up from 70% in the segment with no free spins offer.
According to the study, while simpler odds information led to fewer non-problem gamblers opting to play, the change had no significant impact on those with a history of problem gambling.
Based on the findings of the report, The Behavioural Insights Team has recommended that RTP statements should be banned or radically overhauled to help improve players’ understanding of the risks involved. It has also suggested that odds should be listed in £/€/$ terms that are clearly visible and presented before any other gaming information.
The full report is available for download.
Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.