At a glance, online slot machines appear to be similar to their retail counterparts. They offer, for the most part, the same games, with similar return-to-player percentages. But context and overall experience matter, too.

A designer can shape a casino floor in such a way as to encourage customers to gamble. Customers’ living rooms or subway cars lack those same flourishes. So the iGaming apps look for other ways to achieve the same ends.

The enticement methods the apps use are familiar. Anyone who’s doom-scrolled through a social media platform has experienced the same types of features designed to hyper-engage.