Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) can cause a significant number of gambling-related harms. Monetary limit setting is a responsible gaming tool available in EGMs that allows people to limit the amount of money and/or time they spend gambling. The current study compares the characteristics of people who choose a soft (allowing gambling beyond a pre-set limit) vs. hard (stopping gambling as soon as a pre-set limit is reached) limit. The researchers used data from Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) to compare people who chose to make soft vs. hard limits before and after enrolling in the My PlaySmart program. They found that people who set hard limits spent less time and money gambling, and had lower gambling losses than people who set soft limits. People who set hard limits also did not change the number of times they visited the casino. People who set soft limits, however, increased the number of times they visited the casino. These results suggest that soft limit setting is not an effective responsible gaming tool. Hard limit setting may be an effective way to reduce gambling-related harms.
