Slot machines are one of the most popular online casino games. They have been growing in popularity for many years and they are now a staple of any online casino that wishes to be taken seriously.
One of the main reasons for this is because of their ease of use. Unlike other online casino games, players don’t need to do anything special to play slot machines. All they have to do is click on them, enter some coins, and start playing!
However, there is an aspect of these games which can frustrate even the most experienced player – autoplay. This feature enables a machine to keep spinning without the need for human intervention.
Autoplay has become so widespread that it has reached nearly every major online gaming platform. It can be found on all sorts of different slots – from classic fruit symbols like 7s and bars, to more modern games that involve themes such as video poker or scratch cards.
In fact, autoplay is now so well-established that it is hard to imagine how you would enjoy an online game without being able to use it. Yet while it is often considered beneficial, there is an increasing number of people who believe that it should be removed entirely.
What Is The Purpose Of Autoplay?
When autoplay first became common, it was originally intended to make slot machines easier to understand. In particular, it was designed to help players who had difficulty reading numbers display on a reel. If you were unable to read them easily, you could simply play autoplay and just concentrate on the spinning reels instead.
This was an ingenious idea, but it also made autoplay much harder to understand once people began to realise what it actually did. There is no doubt that it makes things easier if you can’t see the reel, but when you can clearly see what is happening, it becomes frustrating.
To put it another way, autoplay removes the element of surprise from slot machines. And this is something that all players want to experience at least once during their casino session.
Is Autoplay Legal?
There is nothing wrong with having autoplay in your online casino. But as with many things, there may be legal issues involved.
For instance, in the UK, gambling laws prevent casinos from offering autoplay unless it is specifically requested by the customer. In addition, the law states that operators must offer a clear message informing customers about whether autoplay is available to them or not.
It isn’t always possible to provide this kind of clear message, though, so many players end up using autoplay without realising that they are breaking the law. This doesn’t mean that the authorities will come knocking at your door, however. Instead, it simply means that you could get fined or prosecuted for breaking the law.
The Pros & Cons Of Autoplay
As we have seen, autoplay is controversial. However, there is still no denying the benefits that it brings to online players. Indeed, there are several good reasons why it should remain legal.
First of all, autoplay can sometimes be useful. For example, it allows players to focus on the gameplay rather than worrying about where the next win comes from. This is especially helpful for those players who find themselves becoming anxious after losing large sums of money.
The same goes for those players who suffer from severe motion sickness. Many of us are prone to getting sick in cars, planes, and boats, and autoplay helps to reduce the amount of motion that needs to be dealt with. As a result, you get to sit back and relax while your machine spins away.
And then there is the matter of convenience. You know exactly when you can stop the game, and this means that you don’t need to worry about losing track of time as you try to work out how long you can remain in the game before you run out of funds.
Finally, autoplay can be used as a distraction when you really need a break. Whether you are suffering from stress or simply want a quick breather, autoplay can help you to take a short break away from the action, allowing you to return refreshed.
With all of these advantages, it is easy to see why autoplay remains legal. Even though there may be arguments against its continued existence, they aren’t likely to convince enough people to change their minds.
Why Some Players Want To Remove Autoplay
While autoplay is generally accepted as a positive thing, there are still some players who want it removed completely. While autoplay does have many advantages, these gamers claim that it also causes problems.
Firstly, autoplay is too similar to real life slot machines. As we have already explained, autoplay takes the fun out of slot machine play. It can also cause you to lose interest in the game, leading to you leaving once you have lost everything.
Perhaps even worse, autoplay encourages you to gamble. After all, it is much easier to press a button and let the machine continue to spin. As a result, you can quickly lose control over the situation, and this can lead to some serious financial troubles.
These claims sound quite extreme, but they are based on evidence. For instance, there is research that suggests that people who use autopay spend less time playing each game. In addition, they tend to bet less per session compared to their counterparts who don’t use autopay.
Another study revealed that people who use autopay spent longer playing games, but they also spent more money overall. So autopay users might spend more time playing, but they also make more mistakes and lose more money.
Clearly, this is a very concerning finding. It suggests that autopay increases the risk of losing significant sums of money, and it certainly seems reasonable to conclude that it should therefore be banned altogether.
Should Autoplay Be Removed From Slot Machines?
Ultimately, we think that autoplay should stay. While it may seem counterintuitive to say that it should be kept, there are plenty of reasons to support this view. After all, it is far better to remove it than risk spending hundreds of pounds or euros chasing lost cash.
And with that in mind, we recommend that you avoid autopay whenever possible. This is because it will allow you to enjoy the full potential of online slot machines to the fullest extent.
