 |
| The Safe@play Slot
Machine Tutorial is designed to teach all the
important concepts related to how North American
slot machines work. |
| The design of the
tutorial uses an ‘Exploratory Learning Environment’
in which users can play a computer-based slot
machine as they go through the tutorial. The
slot machine is set to the general standards of
slot machines in legalized jurisdictions in North
America. There are four main sections. |
| 1)
Inside General |
| Shows the physical
parts of a slot machine and covers important concepts
such as: |
|
| • |
Reels
are displays and do not have anything to do
with determining the odds |
| • |
How
"virtual reel mapping" gives illusions
of near misses and misrepresentations of the
true odds of winning |
| • |
The
Hit Frequency which is how often on average
a player will win something |
| • |
The
Hold which is how much on average the slot
machine makes on each pull |
• |
How
the Random Number Generator is used to determine
the outcome. |
|
| 2)
Primer |
| The Primer section
uses a coin, a dice, and a wheel to explain/reinforce
some concepts that are fundamental to how slot
machines work. These include: |
|
| • |
Flipping
of a coin to explain the unpredictability of
short-term outcomes and the reliability of long-term
outcomes |
| • |
Tossing
a dice to expand on the coin and introduce the
concept that each possibility may not have an
equal probability of occurring |
| • |
Spinning
a wheel to expand on the dice and introduce
the concept that the payback can/will vary depending
on which symbol occurs. |
|
| 3)
Inside Advanced |
| This section contains
all the detailed math necessary to understand
how slot machines work. Many users may not find
it necessary to get to this detailed level of
understanding. It includes: |
|
| • |
A
review of the Inside General material |
| • |
Details
on how the virtual reels are mapped to the actual
reels |
| • |
Details
on how the possible outcomes are determined |
| • |
All
the details on how to design a mapping table. |
|
| 4)
Be Safe@play |
| This section allows
the users to evaluate whether: |
|
| • |
They
are at risk of developing a gambling problem |
| • |
They
presently have a gambling problem. |
|
