{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T17:28:53Z","timestamp":1792085333790,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":84,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]],"date-time":"2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745884800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Addiction"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Gambling research has highlighted various aspects of deceptive design. For example, land\u2010based casinos are physically designed to encourage people to gamble there for longer. Similarly, various electronic gambling products, such as electronic gaming machines, exhibit \u201cstructural characteristics\u201d that likely encourage people to continue using them. Here I argue that the deceptive design of online gambling platforms is an important yet relatively neglected topic, representing the digital equivalent of land\u2010based gambling venue design. This topic's importance is underscored by online gambling's international growth.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Argument<\/jats:title><jats:p>Online gambling platforms' deceptive design features can be categorized using three terms from the interdisciplinary field of behavioral science. \u201cSludge\u201d refers to detrimental frictions, which feature for example in online gambling platforms' withdrawal processes. \u201cDark patterns\u201d refers to deceptive user\u2010interface design more broadly, which includes sludge\u2010based features and other design features such as high suggested deposit\/bet sizes. Finally, \u201cdark nudges\u201d refers to all of these as well as other aspects of deceptive design, such as presenting gambling as a fun activity.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>The complexity of online gambling platforms poses challenges for researchers, to understand what effects various design features have on behavior, and also for policymakers, to ensure fairer outcomes for people. Increased awareness and collaboration are needed from many stakeholders to better understand deceptive design features' behavioral impacts and to give them the appropriate regulatory attention in comparison to other determinants of harm.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/add.70085","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,30]],"date-time":"2025-04-30T00:19:44Z","timestamp":1745972384000},"page":"1916-1923","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":24,"title":["Sludge, dark patterns and dark nudges: A taxonomy of online gambling platforms' deceptive design features"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"120","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1660-9254","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Philip","family":"Newall","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychological Science University of Bristol  Bristol UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9781400834655"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1360-0443.2005.00962.x"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","first-page":"7","article-title":"Do EGMs and problem gambling go together like a horse and carriage?","volume":"18","author":"Abbott M","year":"2006","journal-title":"Gambling Res"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1556\/2006.2022.00083"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_1","volume-title":"The relevance and role of gaming machine games and game features on the play of problem gamblers","author":"Livingstone C","year":"2008"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_1","volume-title":"How electronic gambling machines work. 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