Hacker News Reader

> But unlike the gambling market, apps like Jackpot Magic and Big Fish Casino are under little oversight to determine whether they are fair or whether their business practices are predatory.

The apps are upfront that there is no possibility for a payout, right?

It seems stupid to spend money other than for entertainment on these apps, but it doesn’t seem likely to me that the app is unfair.

View on HN

It's a skinners box. People will put money in for the dopamine rush it gives. Think candy crush or vampire stories. They're paying for an experience. In a sense the people spending money are victims of predatory gaming mechanics.

If you've payed for anything in any video game to enhance your experience like getting an upgraded weapon it's the same exact thing. Turns out there's an audience that's willing to pay this money. Or it's a money laundering scheme but who really knows.

The issue is that there are some people who physically can’t help but pour all their money into these skinner boxes.

The insidious and unfair bit comes in when you realize that these companies specifically engineer their apps to take advantage of people with that kind of addictive personality disorder.

Check out the talk “Let’s go whaling” to really see what I mean. He opens the talk with “let’s set ethics aside for an hour”

Reply on news.ycombinator.com