Results of the research have been published online in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, and will be published in a print edition of the journal in 2013. In fact, co-author Sandy Chen, of Oregon State University-Cascades, and her colleagues found that the most common profile of a slot machine enthusiast was a female homeowner, between the ages of 55 and 60, with at least some college education and an annual household income of more than $55,000.

A new study looking at why people play slot machines at casinos debunks the stereotype of poor, uneducated senior citizens gambling their Social Security pensions in hopes of a big payday.