Slot players will get this, sometimes that big bomb symbol drops, and you’re already thinking “this is it,” but nope… no tumble, nothing connects. Then you sit there thinking, “Damn, that was close,” and next thing you know, you’re still spinning, chasing that moment again.
It's in moments like this that the eagerness to play more builds up, and that's the most preferred time to set up your standards and dare to not go against them. You're not always close to hitting the "bull's eye" if you don't hit it already -- anything else would only give you reasons and too many options to play on.
So what do you think, just coincidence, or a little design magic to keep us hooked? I know they’ll say it’s all fair and random, but you can’t tell me the devs didn’t factor this in when making the game. After all, nothing keeps a gambler glued to the screen like almost winning.
Close wins are like a neutral pattern that remains part of the game, and was created for the exact purpose which it does display. The only way the can get you to keep trying (and spending as well) is to create an illusion of the possibilities to win with further tries, but nobody wants to talk about that btw.