The psychological appeal of winning big: How sweepstakes casinos tap into our love of jackpots

Psychological aspects behind jackpots

The notion of jackpots and emotions related to this instance can be difficult to understand and categorize. Thus, we’ve prepared four psychological aspects you should know to understand how jackpots are related to psychology and their effect on the player.

We must state that these are not the only four aspects you can discover on the sweepstakes jackpot journey, but they are just some of the most prominent psychological instances.

The “near miss” psychology

To better understand the notion of “near miss”, we can look at some skill-based games. For instance, if you’re playing fish games where the primary goal is to catch fish to win prizes, you may experience the “near miss” notion when you don’t catch the fish that gives you the most bonuses/prizes/rewards. Thus, you’ll feel tempted to continue your gameplay to hit the target.

The notion of luck or chance-based games is similar, but the means are not. Let’s take sweepstakes slots as an example. The player spins the reels, and all of the reels are the same except for the last one. The player will instantly feel close to the goal, making them want to play more to get to the jackpot.

Cognitive responses

As soon as the player starts their gaming journey, some cognitive capabilities will light up and perform better than usual. For instance, decision-making, risk assessment, and problem-solving skills will be at their peak during sweepstakes casino gameplay to lead to the best possible results.

Thus, during jackpot gameplay, the players’ perspectives and cognitive responses will switch and become significantly different from their day-to-day activities. The player will instantly start reacting faster and have better response times than usual.

Dopamine and adrenaline boosts

Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters, which is responsible for pleasure, motivation, and learning. If dopamine is released, the person will feel happier, more excited, and overall better.

One of the ways to boost dopamine levels is by playing sweepstakes casino jackpot games. These casino games will provide small winnings that trigger dopamine release, making players want to get even higher doses.

Adrenaline is another psychological aspect connected to jackpots and sweepstakes casino gameplay. The player constantly feels at the edge of their seats, waiting for potentially life-altering results. Thus, adrenaline’s suspense, thrill, and excitement also play a major role in the jackpot experience.

The initial high

The initial high of getting a jackpot or winning big is a unique experience that not too many players get to enjoy. Since it’s so rare, the players may feel it even more, which is another psychological aspect of sweepstakes jackpot gaming. All players will seek that unique feeling, driving them to play games and reach the final goal.

This feeling may seem life-altering and overwhelming. The player may feel like the jackpot and the winning amount may fix some major issues, which is when the player can take a break from the cruel world. But, the initial high begins a rather complex emotional and psychological journey.

The impact of jackpots on user behavior and engagement

The presence of jackpots in sweepstakes casino games can significantly impact the user experience, behavior, and engagement, which benefits both the players and the sweepstakes company. We’ll name some of the most crucial impacts below to help you better understand the notion of jackpots and their presence in sweepstakes casinos.

• Increased engagement – if a player sees that the sweepstakes casino provides jackpot games, they’ll instantly become more drawn to play these games as there are higher chances of winning valuable prizes. The engagement factor is closely related to the psychological aspects mentioned above. 
• Emotional connections – the player will feel excited and happy to participate in games with larger stakes and jackpots, which impacts the emotional experience. Since such games can provide more dopamine and adrenaline, the players will most likely connect with them emotionally. 
• Spending – since there’s a chance that the player may win a jackpot, they may consider spending some of their assets on the gameplay to continue the journey and reach the final goal. It’s an essential part of user engagement and significantly impacts the behavior. 

Since there’s a spending factor some players may practice during their sweepstakes jackpot journey, casinos must implement responsible gaming strategies and policies to protect the players’ overall well-being. Thus, many sweepstakes casinos have special policies preventing users from overspending on their journeys. Once the player reaches the financial limits, they won’t be able to spend any more assets.

Ethical considerations for jackpot game designs

Although jackpot sweepstakes games are widespread on the market, sweepstakes casinos must take proper ethical measures and considerations during the game design to protect all players from potential issues. Some of the considerations include the following:

• Preventing excessive spending – every sweepstakes casino must have responsible gaming policies to protect users from overspending on their jackpot journeys. 
• Fairness and randomness of game results – the casino must provide certificates of third-party testing solutions, such as eCOGRA, to prove that the games are random and fair to all users. 
• Age considerations – an institution will practice age verification methods to prevent minors from entering sweepstakes jackpot competitions and face legal charges accordingly. 
• Representation – if the casino promotes sweepstakes and jackpot games, they must be completely transparent about all the requirements and details to ensure the best results. 

Utilizing these practices in the sweepstakes casino jackpot journey will give the users a sense of security, reliability, and trustworthiness. The players will feel safe on the platform, thus increasing engagement and improving the sweepstakes casino’s reputation.

These elements contribute to the most amazing, adrenaline-boosting, and psychologically accurate gaming experiences.

Sources

• R. L. Reid. The Psychology of the Near Miss . Berkeley.
• How Does Dopamine Affect the Body?. Medical News Today.
• Responsible Gaming: What It Is and What Casinos Need To Do. ACGS.