Multix, Video Games
Back to the research into alcohol during gambling Or actually locations where alcohol is served and locations where that does not happen. The researchers used a specific gambling game, the Norwegian Multix. Multix is a fully digitized, multigame, network based video gaming terminal.
The advantage for the researchers at Multix is that every terminal has the same games in a closed system. And players must create an account in order to play. All terminals are therefore interconnected and individual gambling behavior can be followed per terminal. The Multix software also ensures that certain restrictions imposed by the government are automatically implemented.
Locations
Norway does not officially have casinos. Multix has been placed in all kinds of other locations. You can’t come up with it that badly or there may be one or more Multix terminals. For example petrol stations, cafes, bowling alleys, hotels, snack bars, station kiosks, restaurants and much more.
They are large and small locations, but also locations where alcohol is or is not possible during gambling. Shortly after the placement of Multix, there were already more than 45,000 registered players. And as said, their gaming behavior can be monitored. For the study, Norsk-Tipping , the Norwegian gambling authority, entered into a separate contract with participants and anonymized their personal data with a code.
Conclusion About Alcohol While Gambling
The researchers themselves are not yet able to reach a convincing conclusion. During the period of the study, it appeared that players played more often and spent more money at a location without alcohol. According to the researchers, this could be because the locations with alcohol are visited less often and / or on special occasions ( eg restaurants ).
Locations with alcohol (eg a café) are also visited for other reasons, for example for social contact with friends and neighbors. A cautious conclusion is that more risks are taken when gambling with alcohol consumption. It was those gamblers who lost the most money .
