Who Spends Money to Play for Free? Identifying Who Makes Micro-transactions on Social Casino Games (and Why).

Social casino games are online gambling-like games found on social networking sites. They are initially free to play, however, players are encouraged to make micro-transactions (i.e., in-game purchases) for additional game credits or functionality. As a result, they generate billions of dollars in revenue. Yet, little is known as to who purchases virtual credits, let alone why. In the present research, we assessed whether there are individual differences (impulsivity, reward sensitivity, competitiveness, and problem gambling severity) between who is and who is not likely to make micro-transactions during social casino game play. Moreover, we examined possible motivations for making micro-transactions (e.g., extend play, win back lost credits) and whether the individual difference variables of interest predict reported motivation(s) for making micro-transactions. Results showed that social casino gamers who engaged in micro-transactions reported significantly higher levels of impulsivity, reward sensitivity and problem gambling severity, but not competitiveness. In terms of motivation to make micro-transactions, desire to extend play was endorsed most frequently, followed by a desire to access additional features, chasing lost credits, and to speed up play. Lastly, among participants who made micro-transactions, reward sensitivity predicted making micro-transactions to chase lost credits. These results suggest the personality make-up of social casino gamers is important to understand who is likely to make micro-transactions as well as their motivation to do so-information that could prove useful for regulation of the industry.

On being loyal to a casino: The interactive influence of tier status and disordered gambling symptomatology on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Casino loyalty programs are marketing strategies designed to foster attitudinal (i.e., identification and satisfaction) and behavioral (i.e., spending) loyalty among gamblers by offering rewards to members. Casino loyalty programs use a tier-based structure to segment members who spend more money into higher tiers, where they receive better rewards (compared to lower tiered members). Tier-based structures may encourage increased expenditure among patrons, especially among players living with a gambling disorder. The current work aimed to examine whether tier status and disordered gambling symptomatology interact to predict attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. METHODS: Study 1 used a cross-sectional design to examine whether tier status and disordered gambling symptomatology interact to predict self-reported loyalty among a sample of American casino loyalty program members (N = 396). In Study 2, archival player account data from Canadian casino loyalty program members (N = 649) were analyzed to examine whether tier status and disordered gambling symptomatology interact to predict objective measures of behavioral loyalty. RESULTS: The greatest effect of tier status on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty was observed among non-problem gamblers in the highest tiers. Tier status, however, did not influence loyalty among members high in disordered gambling symptomatology. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that once gambling has become problematic, loyalty programs may not influence player attitudes and behaviors. Non-problem gamblers may be particularly susceptible to the tiered structure of the programs. CONCLUSION: Non-problem gamblers may benefit from casino loyalty programs in the short-term but longitudinal research is needed to understand the long-term influence of membership.

Empathetic collective angst predicts perpetrator group members' support for the empowerment of the victimized group.

Although victimized groups have a need to recover diminished power, perpetrator groups are often reluctant to support actions that may undermine their own systemic advantages. We hypothesized that perpetrator group members' experience of empathetic collective angst-a group-based emotion focused on concern for the future vitality of an outgroup-mediates the relation between the perception of threat to the future of the victimized group and support for policies that may satisfy the group's empowerment. Across 5 studies and 3 distinct intergroup contexts (victimization of Aboriginal Canadians by non-Aboriginal Canadians, Native Americans by non-Native Americans, and French Canadians by Anglophone Canadians), we showed that perpetrator group members who perceive (Study 1) or are manipulated to perceive (Studies 2-5) that the victimized group is under existential threat (vs. secure) experience greater empathetic collective angst for the victimized group. In no study did perceived existential threat to the victimized group influence collective guilt-a group-based emotion focused on illegitimate harms committed against an outgroup. Empathetic collective angst mediated the relation between perceived existential threat and support for victimized group empowerment (e.g., self-determination). Study 4 found that the relation between empathetic collective angst and support for victimized group empowerment was stronger among perpetrator group members than bystander group members. A synthesis of the findings showed that the indirect effect was statistically significant across studies. Results suggest that, in the aftermath of victimization, empathetic collective angst motivates perpetrator group members to support policies that may satisfy victims' power needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).