Mandatory play breaks are a common responsible gambling (RG) tool designed to prevent problem gambling. Forced breaks in play are thought to be especially helpful for continuous gambling activities such as video lottery terminals (VLTs). The researchers examined if forced breaks in play resulted in less time and money spent gambling in a real-world setting involving 7,190 VLT players in Norway. The researchers found that forced breaks in play were associated with more (not less) money and time spent gambling in the session following the break, compared to gambling sessions that did not trigger the breaks. The researchers suggest this result could be due to “heavier” gamblers being more likely to trigger forced breaks in play.
