Seeing loss differently: East vs West through eye-tracking

Gambling is built on probability. Big wins and painful losses are part of the same equation. The allure of casinos and sports betting lies in the uncertainty and the sheer anticipation of a win. The question is what happens in that moment: how does a player actually react to a win or a loss?

Eye-tracking offers a surprisingly precise way to measure emotional and cognitive reactions. In psychology and psychophysiology, eye behaviour is widely used as an indicator of what’s happening in the nervous system.

One of the clearest signals is pupil dilation. Pupils widen in response to emotions, whether that’s excitement, joy, fear or frustration. They also dilate when we’re concentrating or processing complex information. By analysing pupil data alongside other metrics, researchers can link these changes directly to activation of the sympathetic nervous system. 

Beyond pupils, eye-tracking measures:

• Saccades – rapid movements between focal points
• Fixations – moments when the gaze pauses and information is processed
• Blink rate – which tends to drop when someone is highly engaged

Under stress, saccadic accuracy can decline. The eyes may briefly “miss” their target and require corrective movements. Longer fixations often signal that something emotionally intense is underway, making it harder to look away. Researchers also analyse scanning patterns across the screen to identify which elements attract attention and when.

Cultural differences: myth or reality? 

At first glance, you might assume these biological responses are universal – that’s true at a fundamental level. But perception is shaped by both biology and cultures. So many aspects of our behaviours are conditioned by early cultural upbringings, including language and social norms. These factors influence how we distribute attention and process visual information. 

In our previous research, we identified notable differences between African, Asian and European users. Specifically, players from Nigeria and Tunisia tend to display signs of contextual attention and prefer having multiple objects within their visual field. 

In this latest study, our focus narrowed to European participants (Austria, Hungary and Poland) and Asian participants (Singapore) to better understand the nuanced differences between Western and Eastern cognitive patterns. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that players’ cultural background influences both reaction to outcomes and long-term memory. 

Participants played a classic three-reel slot game in a controlled lab setting. The game was calibrated to deliver a balanced ratio of wins, bet-backs and losses. We tracked eye movements during play, analysing how attention shifted during positive, neutral and negative outcomes. After 48 hours, participants returned for memory tests to assess what they remembered, including both central and peripheral interface elements as well as emotionally charged moments from their sessions. 

East vs West: What changed during a loss?

The clearest contrast lay in how attention was distributed across the screen. European participants focused heavily on central elements. Across all scenarios, around 73% of their fixations were directed towards the centre of the interface. During wins, this rose to 76%, and even during losses remained high at 69%. 

Singaporean participants showed a more evenly distributed pattern. Overall, around 57% of their fixations were central. During positive outcomes, they leaned towards the centre (63%), but during losses, attention spread almost evenly between centre and background – roughly 51% central and 49% peripheral.

However, this difference did not extend to memory. After two days, both groups performed almost identically in recognition tests. Accuracy hovered between 65% and 67% for both samples. This means while culture influenced initial attention and visual processing, it did not produce meaningful differences in long-term memory.

In other words, cultural differences became most visible during negative emotional moments. Western players stayed locked on the core gameplay elements. Eastern players broadened their visual field and engaged more with contextual background elements.

What this means for UI design

Those disparities in cognitive patterns suggest that a culturally tailored approach is necessary in iGaming design. 

Western participants tend to be more analytic. Attention is concentrated on focal objects, with background information treated as secondary or even distracting. For those users, interfaces benefit from strong central composition, high contrast and minimal peripheral noise. Key elements such as slot reels and betting odds should be visually dominant.

In contrast, Eastern markets require a holistic visual approach. Users process objects in relation to their context, and their attention is distributed more evenly across the screen. Thus, providing a richer environment with elements like background animations and informative side panels can be effective. In such interfaces, important metrics including current balance and jackpot totals can be placed outside the centre without losing significance to the player.

Interestingly, at peak excitement, biology overrides culture. During calmer periods, Western participants focus on a live dealer’s facial expression, while Eastern players focus on contextual elements in the studio. When reaching high-arousal moments like bonus rounds, however, both groups exhibited “tunnel vision”, with attention narrowing sharply towards the centre. This means that during intense moments, all critical information should be placed in the interface centre for clarity. 

Similarly, when it comes to retention, cultural nuances take the back seat. Two days later, participants did not recall specific visual details of gaming sessions. What stuck with them was the emotional experience of winning or losing. Therefore, CRM campaigns and post-session messaging should appeal to the emotional high, rather than referencing interface details. 

Practical takeaways

• For Western markets, prioritise central elements, reduce peripheral visual noise and use strong contrast to guide attention quickly. 
• For Eastern markets, build a cohesive, visually rich scene while maintaining a clear visual hierarchy so important elements don’t get lost. 
• During moments of peak excitement, place all essential information in the centre and temporarily mute unnecessary animations and pop-ups. 
• Localisation should go beyond text. Visual architecture and animation pacing should be tested regionally through A/B testing, heatmaps and eye-tracking where possible.