Form of Government-Sanctioned Gambling
University research outlines the dangers of slot machines
The Carleton University Gambling Laboratory, a think-tank deciphering what makes gamblers keep coming back, says slot machines are nearly four times more addictive than regular card tables. Head researcher, Prof. Michael Wohl, said that’s because players can sit for long periods of time in a relatively low-stress situation and can cash in their winnings without leaving their seats. It’s also due to grave misconceptions about how slot machines work.
“A lot of people think that every time you spin a slot machine you’re getting closer and closer to a win,” Dr. Wohl explains. But that’s simply not the case, he says. He describes them as a mixed bag of marbles. Within it, there’s one “jackpot” marble combined with hundreds of losses. When you play a machine, one of those losses falls out of the bag. But what many people don’t understand is before your very next spin, that dud marble goes right back into the bag. The odds of winning or losing are always exactly the same.”
According to the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse, 80% of problem gamblers in Ontario cite slot machines as their problem. The largest percentage are seniors and low-income earners.
Gambling Nation: A Democracy of Risk for Risk’s Sake
Below is a compelling, hard-hitting column by Esquire’s Charlie Pierce about what it means to turn America into a casino republic, declaring “The United States of America is now nothing more than a place where you gamble.”
Turning gamers into gamblers
Popular, long-running online game Runescape is being widely criticised for encouraging youngsters to gamble..Australian gamer, parent and former gambling addict Jakob Gamertsfelder is a veteran Runescape player but is now one of many actively protesting about the game’s new direction – what he describes as “an online casino aimed at children”. Most of the complaints are directed at Squeal of Fortune, which was added early this year and allows players to “buy spins” to a virtual wheel of fortune to win prizes. Jakob says Squeal of Fortune is “marketing aimed at habituating and incentivising gambling, directly aimed at kids”. “My motivation comes not just from the good memories of spending time with my kids in Runescape but also from remembering what it feels like to be caught up in a gambling addiction, which I was for some years.” Last year a gambling industry veteran urged sports betting agencies to target video gamers, while a study suggested teenager game players had brains “like gambling addicts”. Meanwhile, research in 2009 suggested teenagers who regularly play video games are more likely to develop anti-social behaviour that can lead to problem gambling.
Jakob Gamertsfelder is particularly angry that Runescape’s new owners Jagex changed the terms and conditions of Runescape around the same time as launching Squeal of Fortune. The changes ensure the company is not liable if a player uses someone else’s credit card. He says this seems to have been done because Jagex expects kids to use their parent’s cards without permission. “The timing indicates the intent,” Jakob says. “It annoys the crap out of me that Jagex does something this malicious and then fobs off responsibility to parents.”
Online lottery sales, meant to draw in younger gamblers, draw opposition
Lotteries tell the public “people are gambling anyway” but there is no question that lotteries are actively targeting and creating new gamblers to get them to lose their money. In this story, the Maine Lottery Director describes the strategy: “While our lottery revenue generation is doing reasonably well, our consumer or customer head count participation is flat to slightly down….the lottery needs to bolster sales to the “Generation Y” segment of the population, 18-to 30-year-olds that embrace the Internet.”
Online lottery sales, meant to draw in younger gamblers, draw opposition
In-play betting ads ‘encourage children to gamble’
Various gambling bodies have been recently reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority for encouraging children to gamble. In this article the issue in England is highlighted with various advertisements centered around ‘in-play’ betting, targeting the younger demographic.
Ohio Broken Revenue Promises
Casinos often hand out empty promises during their beginning stages to gain citizen approval, as is the case with the state of Ohio. Ohio was promised new textbooks, increased funding for the arts, and economic development when the casino development campaign was approved by voters in 2009. However, the projected estimates of casino revenues fall far short of reality, making many of Ohio’s plans to use the money for education and economic development unrealistic. Ohio has quickly learned that casino revenues are doing far from helping to improve the state.
Children as young as 10 are battling serious gambling problems, a major study has revealed
While the United States continues to ignore its public health problem of gambling addiction, the first national study of the gambling habits of Australia’s youth has found a tenth of kids aged 10-14 fit definitions of ‘‘at-risk’’ or ‘‘problem’’ gamblers. And a third have adults willing to place bets on their behalf. Almost a third of kids aged 10-14 said they had played electronic gambling machines in the previous year, more than half had purchased scratch tickets.
Casino giant IGT launches popular slot machine on Facebook
In an effort to encourage more young people to lose money gambling on the Internet, International Gaming Technology has launched its Da Vinci Diamonds slot machine, which can be found in casinos across the country, as a Facebook game, as if it were Farmville or Words With Friends.
2012 Casino giant IGT goes social, launches Vegas slot machine favorite on Facebook
FBI crime numbers show crime has increased in Pennsylvania cities since casinos were built
According to FBI crime numbers and the district attorney of Luzerne County (the location of a casino owned by Mohegan Sun), crime has actually gone up in several categories since the casino opened in 2006. From 2005 to 2010, larcenies shot up 20 percent, property crime jumped 13 percent and aggravated assaults increased 12 percent. “I believe it’s just increasing,” said Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis. “Yes, homicides may have gone down, but every year is different with homicides and rape. The burglaries, the property crime — those things I don’t think have gone down. … We get approximately 5,000 cases a year, and it’s been increasing.”
In Bethlehem, a casino opened in July 2010. While FBI statistics are not available for 2011, the bureau’s numbers for Bethlehem from 2009 to 2010 show a 6 percent increase in violent crime and a 7 percent increase in property crime, as well as jumps in robbery and larceny. Burglary in Bethlehem rose 20 percent over those two years.
2012 Suffolk CEO says casino will reduce crime in Eastie but numbers don’t add up