Just as popularity of slot machines has increased, however, so has the diversity of machines. Not surprisingly, a 2006 survey showed that 71 percent of casino gamblers prefer slot machines and/or video poker over other games. 'And that is surprising,' she added, 'since the bulk of a casino's revenue comes from slot machines.'Ĭhen said previous research has shown that some 70 percent of casino revenues come from slot machines, up drastically from the 1970s when that figure was closer to 40 percent. 'There's just not a lot out there about why people are attracted to slot machines. 'Most of the studies on gambling look at problem gambling, casino atmospheres or general personality and motivational traits,' said Chen, an assistant professor of Hospitality Management at OSU-Cascades. The study is important, the authors say, because there is little in the professional literature about the motivation for why people like slot machines despite casinos' acknowledged odds of taking gamblers' money over the long haul. Results of the research have been published online in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, and will be published in a print edition of the journal in 2013.

In fact, co-author Sandy Chen, of Oregon State University-Cascades, and her colleagues found that the most common profile of a slot machine enthusiast was a female homeowner, between the ages of 55 and 60, with at least some college education and an annual household income of more than $55,000.

A new study looking at why people play slot machines at casinos debunks the stereotype of poor, uneducated senior citizens gambling their Social Security pensions in hopes of a big payday.

How to win on any slot machine