The subject matter herein provides for online dating gameplay that offers instant and ongoing new opportunities for content, interaction, communication, and risk, and that rewards communication initiation and persistence, all without increasing the skill level required to find a relationship while providing an incentive to play or engage with the online dating community continuously. The approach employs gamification (and, in particular, a slot machine-style display) to encourage users (sometimes referred to herein as “daters” or “players”) to frequently log in and engage with other daters.