People are very poor at accurately recalling how much they have spent, won, and lost on gambling. Structural features of EGMs such as the use of cash, display of credits, and ease of re-gambling wins may make it difficult for people to estimate how much money they have spent. The aim of this study was to examine people’s ability to assess past and future spending on EGMs. The researchers surveyed people at a large gambling venue in Australia. Survey responses were linked to account data to verify actual gambling behaviour. It was found that almost all participants could not accurately recall their past spending or estimate their future spending. People who were more impulsive and more willing to take risks were less accurate in recalling their past net outcome and spend, respectively. People tended to overestimate their net outcome but underestimate the amount they won, suggesting that they re-gambled with their winnings.
