Another incident, this time in the newly licensed Pennsylvania gaming industry, again highlights the need to inform the public about playing slot machines. If operators do not make that effort then they are likely to lose the confidence of their clients and could be accused of having the ‘fast buck’ image that they are keen to dispel. A player at PhiladelphiaPark racino has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board after having been told that the US$102,000 jackpot win accredited to him on-screen was, in fact, a system malfunction.

To those outside the gaming industry, who rely on the regulations to ensure that every cent they play has a chance of winning on a randomly programmed machine, ‘malfunction’ is a suspiciously easy way out for the operator. As reported on 9 January, at the end of last year casinos in Canada and Argentina were faced with machine errors that caused customer distress after being denied million dollar payouts. The immense roller-coaster of emotions experienced by such players should give cause for concern, and not ‘two comps for the buffet’ as reported in the case of PhiladelphiaPark.

There must be better trained staff to deal with situations like these. As the player in Pennsylvania commented, “I’ll be OK – if I don’t have a heart attack.” It is obvious to most people that machines can malfunction but that does not make it acceptable in the heat of the moment and the euphoria created by a mega win. Then, for slot machine players, there is the niggling doubt that if attention is drawn to malfunctioning when huge payouts are awarded, there may be other unnoticed malfunctioning in favour of the operator when payouts are not awarded. A notice on each machine, unobserved by many, that states that malfunction voids all play is not sufficient.

State-of-the-art equipment is expected to be just that, whether a gaming machine or an in-house computer communications system. When a failure occurs every effort should be made to ensure that confidence in the gaming industry is restored, whatever it takes. The public must be better informed about all aspects of gambling, and education in such matters should be the concern of governments, operators and related organizations, with the education beginning at an early age. Armed with an accurate understanding of the activity, fewer players would be likely to develop addiction and gambling would be seen as a fun way to pass some leisure hours, not as the path to riches. (E-01.24.07)

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