Ontario authorities investigate subliminal messages in slot machines
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming authorities have removed 87 slot machines from gaming venues in the region after complaints that they were flashing subliminal messages at players.
The slot machines, which were removed from the Flamboro Downs and Mohawk Raceway, displayed the jackpot result for a split second every time they were played. The symbols are invisible to the naked eye, prompting concerns that gamblers might continue playing because they subconsciously believe that they are about to win the jackpot.
Their manufacturers, the Las Vegas-based Konami, confirmed that the jackpot symbols were appearing every time, though this was a result of a software glitch and there is no evidence that it affected players’ behaviour. The move comes after the broadcaster CBC secretly filmed the machines at a racetrack in the region after concerns surrounding the Most Wanted, Sergeant Fritter and Billionaire machines.
At present, US gaming authorities are looking into pulling all of the games from the nation’s casinos until the software glitch is fixed.