However, Konami, the company behindthe games, said the jackpot symbols are a technical problem that it is fixing. 'I think it's part of them trying to make their games more attractive to the players to keep them at the game longer so their machines are more profitable,' hesaid.

That would take further testing,experts said.īut players who stick to a machine are seeing a winning image every two seconds, the time it takes for one spin, and that concerns Roger Horbay, an electronic gaming specialist who has treated hundreds of problem gamblers. It's not clear if messages are influencing gamblers' behaviour. The games flash winning jackpot symbolsat players for a fifth of a second, long enough for the brain to detect even if the players are not aware of the message, some psychologists told CBC News. Itshutthem down as a precaution on Friday, and is looking into the issue. Ontario Lottery and Gaming,the recently rebranded Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., is concerned about three games on video slots made by a company called Konami. Ontario's provincial gambling operator has pulled 87 video slot machines out of service or physically removed them from its casinos after a CBC investigation found what appear to be subliminal messages flashing at players.

Slot machine video