The role of self-locks in reducing costs

1) Introduction

Self-exclusion is one of the key tools of responsible play that allows players to temporarily or permanently restrict access to slots. In Australia, by 2025, self-locking mechanics have become mandatory for licensed operators, and its impact on cost reduction is of particular importance in the context of the overall increase in the cost of slot machines.

2) Self-locking mechanism

Termination of access: the player loses the ability to log into the account and make deposits.
Removing triggers: no push notifications, promotional mailings and bonus offers.
Pause formation: even temporary blocking reduces impulsive spending.
Integration into national registries: Some casinos in Australia are connected to common exclusion systems, which prevents blocking from being bypassed.

3) Statistical impact on expenditure

Reducing average spending: players who take advantage of self-locking for at least 1 month reduce annual costs by 25-40%.
Long-term blocking effect: when self-locking for 6 months or more, costs are reduced to almost zero.
Repeated deposits: the likelihood of unplanned deposits drops sharply in the very first days of blocking.
Segment of vulnerable players: it is among them that the reduction in expenses is most noticeable, since their spending before blocking was above average.

4) Differences by player segment

Recreational: use self-locks less often; the impact on costs is minimal.
Involved: resort to blocking more often; the effect is expressed in a sharp drop in spending and a decrease in the duration of gaming sessions.
High-rollers: rarely used, but when the locks are activated, the losses of operators become significant, since this segment brings the main income.

5) Australia context in 2025

Australian regulators have strengthened the requirements for transparency and accessibility of self-locking functions.
Many online operators have implemented "quick self-lock buttons" right in the game interface.
Research shows that the total amount of losses among players who actively use self-locks is almost halved.
Blocking systems are integrated with push notifications and email marketing: after activation, the player is excluded from all advertising mailings.

6) Final conclusions

Self-locking is one of the most effective tools for reducing costs.
Their effectiveness is maximum in the segment of vulnerable players and with long blocking periods.
In 2025, in the Australian market, they became a key element of the government's responsible play policy, directly affecting the overall level of spending on slots.

without interlocks,
with short-term locks (1-4 weeks),
with long-term locks (6 + months)?