The attention span of a human being may still be slightly longer than that of a goldfish, but there is no doubt that the gap has closed in recent years!

As our lives are lived more and more online and the number of distractions, updates and notifications we are bombarded with seems to grow exponentially, we find ourselves doing most things in small, bite-sized chunks.

Never has there been a more apt acronym for modern life than TLDR; too long didn’t read! We want things now and if there is a shortcut, we’ll take it.

Gaming and slots-play is no different and several factors have accelerated the trend towards shorter sessions for players. Let’s look into the make-up of the modern mobile casino landscape and explore why 6–10 minutes has become the norm for our slot play.

What Have Been the Main Changes in the Last Few Years?

Pre-internet, we would need to visit a bookie, a pub, an amusement arcade or a Bingo Hall to have a go on the good old fruit machine.

This would involve dressing and actually leaving the house and so, naturally, once we had arrived, we would enjoy our spins for well in excess of 10 minutes, averaging nearer the 30-minute mark.

The arrival of the internet allowed us to dispense with the travel (and sometimes the dressing bit) and we could enjoy our favourite slot from the comfort of our office computer and lounge-based laptop.

Session times fell slightly in length but there still needed to be some investment; turning the computer on, loading the game, etc.

Only since the advent of the smart phone has a “quickie” on the slots become an easily-achieved reality, giving us the well-established 6–10-minute average timeframe that we see today.

What are the Main Factors Behind 6–10 Minute Spin Micro-sessions?

1. The Reason for Playing

When we grab our phone, it is often an instinctive reaction when there nothing better to do.

5-minute break from work? The hand reaches for the device without even thinking. Maybe you are commuting to work or waiting for a pal in the pub.

A quick burst on the slots is the ideal time-filler for today’s fragmented timetable.

2. Slots on the Mobile are the Perfect Length as a Time-filler

These days, you can have the App opened and be spinning within seconds, so there is very little preparation time or planning required.

Each spin last approximately 5 seconds, so that equates to roughly 10 spins a minute. Moving onto Bonus rounds and hi-lo options will slow play down somewhat, but several minutes of activity will still deliver a good-level of “Spin satisfaction”.

Thus, if we take the mid-point of the 6–10 min average, 8 mins, you can expect to complete roughly 50–60 spins; an ideal micro-session. Long enough to satisfy without ever becoming tedious or tiring.

3. Rewards, Even Small Wins, Will Keep You Engaged in the Short-term

Surveys show that dopamine hits tend to come front-loaded; in other words, we get the most thrill out of them at the beginning of a session and then the effect tends to tail off the longer we play.

This is particularly true for online casino play, with early wins, however small, satisfying the anticipation of the player but not exhausting their goodwill. Or their bankroll for that matter!

With most of us prey to notifications galore, texts and incoming phone calls, slot developers know they have to stack your session early with as many goodies as possible.

This competition for your attention means that, unlike the past, rewards are more likely to come early than be earned.

4. Bankrolls and Bonuses

Regular slot players will be used to freebies and sweeteners from online casinos that they regularly frequent, often receiving these bonuses EVERY day.

So, a micro-session on the slots may not even require you to delve into your own coffers at all. Knowing that 10 Free Spins await you as you open your App of choice will both heighten your anticipation and give you the comfort of knowing that you have, in essence, a few minutes of free play, but still with the chance of having a decent win.

If nothing comes from the Free Spins or Bonuses, you may choose to draw the session to a close, safe in the knowledge that no dent was made in your own balance.

5. Micro-sessions are What the Software Designers are Aiming For

Yes, player retention is the name of the game for slot makers, always has been, but these days they are shrewd enough to know that there are more sophisticated ways of going about this.

For example, one 25-minute session may have been a daily retention target in days of yore, but 5 lots of 6-minute micro-sessions spread throughout the day will also do the job just fine (plus a nice 5-minute extra spinning!).

Additionally, many online casinos now hold back on bombarding you with the inevitable advertisements until several minutes into your play.

This has the double-whammy effect of not irritating or discouraging you from a quick session at the start with time-wasting, as well as providing a “natural break” in play after your initial burst.

6. The Natural Stopping Points of Modernity and Slot Design

Modern slots are packed with far more sub-plots and Bonus mechanisms than ever before and these naturally lead to inflection points in play.

The more complicated and drawn out the “extras”, the more likely it is that you will curtail your session and feel some form of “closure” when the bonus is completed, either with a win or otherwise.

Equally, a loss streak can also lead to disengagement. Many players will have a “mini-budget” in mind for a micro-session and will naturally bring play to a close if that is spent.

Thus, an extended series of losing spins OR a win (big or small) following a Bonus round will both bring the curtain down.

Given that both of these scenarios will usually play out in under 10 minutes, the design of modern slots can be seen to neatly integrate into the gaps and breaks of modern life.

7. The Shifting Sands of Social Acceptability

A trip to the casino or amusement arcade is usually a solitary affair, with few interruptions.

You can immerse yourself in the physical environment and easily rack up 30 mins or longer at the machines with little fear of distraction.

However, mobile play is a different beast and is usually enjoyed in a shared environment, such as work, home or whilst travelling.

This naturally makes it much harder to both keep concentration and “justify” periods of play beyond the 6–10-minute ballpark.

British Gambler’s Conclusion

Given the scaffolding of modern life and the way our time and attention are now divided, slot software developers have a pretty clear strategy on how to design their slot games for maximum engagement.

Hook us in quickly and front-load gaming sessions with more wins, Bonuses and goodies than we could expect in the past.

Enhanced visuals and sound effects are a big part of this, with particular emphasis on visual designs, given there can be no guarantee that a majority of punters will have their volume turned on (a big no-no at work most probably!).

Throw in some time-related extras, such a “Hourly Coin Drops” and re-setting Jackpots and you can see the strong trend towards a series of 6–10-minute “micro-sessions” each day, rather than one long 30–40-minute stint.

Credit: luza studios