Quebec has a mix of slots and video lottery terminals, almost 19 000 in total. Ontario has about 22 000 gaming machines, all slots. By contrast, problem gamblers accounted for less than a quarter of lottery and bingo revenues ( Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 2004 4:33-45).Ĭanadians hooked on gaming machines suffer little inconvenience in finding their next fix. One study found that some 60% of gaming machine revenue in Canada comes from problem gamblers.

The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission reported in 2003 that 71% of its clients with gambling addictions had no problems before playing video lottery terminals. A 2003 survey indicated that almost half of video lottery terminal players in Nova Scotia were at risk for problem gambling. Problem gambling prevalence studies show that gambling addicts are much more likely to play electronic gaming machines (slot machines, poker machines, video lottery terminals) than table games like blackjack. “We've been treating these people like they're messed up, but it's the machines that are messing them up,” says Roger Horbay, a former addiction therapist who now runs Game Planit Interactive Corp., a company that advocates for consumer protection in the gambling industry.Īdvocates for the gambling industry disagree, claiming electronic gaming machines are benign - designed to entertain, not manipulate.

Though diverse in appearance, all slot machines, according to some mental health experts, have something in common: they are psychologically deceptive and make gambling addicts of people who aren't predisposed to addictions. In a massive showroom, slot machine makers from across the country presented their wares: tall, noisy boxes decorated with images of pigs and pirates and martini glasses.

They're here for business, and their business is gambling.įrom April 29 to May 1, 2008, the Palais des Congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Quebec, hosted the 12th annual Canadian Gaming Summit. But these men and women aren't here for fun. Well-dressed men and women wander about, pushing buttons and pulling levers, watching cherries and sevens spin on liquid crystal displays. The room is abuzz with beeps, bells and flashing lights.

What does a slot machine look like