Writing on the online casino industry from someone who has spent more than 20 years inside it, on both the operator side and the player side.
A series taking a hard look at responsible gambling rules: which ones work, which ones only sound like they work, and what should replace them.
Researchers increasingly argue slots should open at the minimum bet. A high default is a real but short-lived risk for brand new players. The better answer is a default relative to the player's balance, and a stake that is impossible to miss.
Regulators banned slot autoplay in the name of player protection. The regulator's own data cut both ways, and the protective version of autoplay was never seriously considered. Why limit-wrapped autoplay is the control feature, not the risk.