Konami video slots pulled from Ontario casinos

Dozens of video slot machines found to flash jackpot logos across screen with every spin; regulatory board determining if it was subliminal messaging or a glitch.

On Friday, an Ontario gambling operator shut down 87 Konami video slot machines in the Canadian province out of concern that they may contain subliminal messages that would encourage players to keep gambling, according to CBC News. The Canadian news service discovered that three brands of video slot machines sold by the publisher's gambling division, Konami Gaming, flashed winning jackpot symbols for one-fifth of a second during every spin.

A Konami spokesperson told the CBC that the jackpot symbols were the result of a software glitch that the company will fix. Konami has determined that four of its machines--Most Wanted, Sergeant Fritter, Billionaires, and Sticks and Stones--have the glitch, but only the first three were released in Canada. Authorities in British Columbia also pulled the machines on Friday but allowed them to go back into service when it was determined they were paying out at a normal rate.

Ontario's Alcohol and Gaming Commission told the CBC that it is examining the matter to see what actions--if any--need to be taken.

65 Comments

  • Runningflame570

    Posted Feb 28, 2007 7:01 am PT

    Ouch...thats not good.

  • makemeweak

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 12:30 pm PT

    Weird news.

  • namdar

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 11:23 am PT

    HAH nickle slots suck anyway...
    my fav nickle slot was BOOM
    TRUE STORY I went to the casino in Niagara falls with 2$
    I hit the jackpot in under 5 spins winning $220
    OHH YAAA!!

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 10:26 am PT

    WTF!? I never knew Konami had gambling machines!

  • GKBeetle

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 10:15 am PT

    Anybody who plays Konami machines is an idiot. The Capcom ones have better graphics and can play Blu-Chips. Sure, the Konami machines have the innovative control, but everybody knows that it's just a gimmick. This just goes to show how evil Konami is. I'm gonna stick with my Capcom machines. Maybe I'll play some Square-Enix machines, but only if the price comes down a little.

  • AdaptorLive

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 9:08 am PT

    That Coke example is an urban myth.. The guy who did it (Vicary in 1957) admitted his claims of rising sales after the showing of subliminal messages were false. Just check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_message

  • juanfraino

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 7:42 am PT

    SEGA makes better gambling machines (in my opinion)

  • The_Weekend

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 7:03 am PT

    shessh .... trust konami do that?!

  • FallenOneX

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 6:03 am PT

    That's the way to do it. They admit to the problem, and government does their own research as well. The machines went back on the floor and people lived their lives out of court. I as an American, am jealous.

  • zsc4

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 5:47 am PT

    Konami ...

  • lurkyuk

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 5:41 am PT

    i'm suprised that no one has mentioned how effective it was when coke did it years and years ago. its been a while since i studied psychology so i cant remember the exact figures but sales of coke went right up after a coke image was flashed for around one fifth in between other adverts.

    it does work and thats why it is illegal. and come on how fishy is it that the screen that flashed for one fifth of a second was the word "jackpot" - the one word that makes gamblers feel happy and encourage them to keep playing

  • fonzieahmed

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 5:31 am PT

    wow cool heh!

  • Switch0025

    Posted Feb 27, 2007 4:20 am PT

    This commission and the "authorities" need to do some research; there's not enough evidence to support subliminal messaging as effective.

  • Squids-Ahoy

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 10:52 pm PT

    Lol subterfuge

  • munsoned

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 10:28 pm PT

    if i was there and i hit the jackpot and they didnt pay me..i woulda done a O.J on somebody

  • MakeMeKing

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 9:58 pm PT

    brainwashing through subliminal messaging is hippy BS anyway, who cares?

  • SNIPER-CAZ

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 9:10 pm PT

    Man whats wrong with our society!

  • me0192

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 8:54 pm PT

    Wow, that is pretty bad. I mean come on, a software glitch?

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 8:39 pm PT

    Sublimal brainwashing!

  • Proman84

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 8:15 pm PT

    I find that flashing is very effective. Especially when done by women !

    But yeah, if this was done on purpose than it's pretty bad. I hope Konami didn't do this on purpose.

  • Doolum

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 7:52 pm PT

  • Berserker_2

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 7:22 pm PT

    Slot machines make a profit due to simple mathematics. They don't want people to know this, so they need to do whatever they can to distort the truth.

  • blackspyda

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 7:04 pm PT

    now thats gangtsa

  • alcarazo9

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 6:55 pm PT

    lol konami is brainwasing people

  • Pete5506

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 6:26 pm PT

    lol

  • Yasihiko

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 6:08 pm PT

    Why can't we have the regular roulette slots just like back in the old days? VLTs are way to modern for gambling imo.

  • KevlarGorilla

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 5:29 pm PT

    Why can't slot machines be glitched so that I win more often?

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 5:26 pm PT

    That's kind of creepy. I wonder how well that stuff would work as a subliminal message. But I'm thinking that's not a glitch..

  • Zero254

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 5:25 pm PT

    Why don't you go program a slot machine.
    It could've been a if then glitch

  • Cult_of_Cthulhu

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 5:05 pm PT

    Oh that? they'll be releasing a patch I'm sure (god no when will it end)
    Oh your car crashed? yeah thats a known problem with the brakes, we'll be patching that in the next car update

  • theKSMM

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 4:46 pm PT

    Konami is busted. The idea that this is a programming error is way suspect. Whether it's effective or not doesn't make it any less insidious.

  • osxgp

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 4:44 pm PT

    A glitch my ass.

  • Mar044

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 4:36 pm PT

    i went to casino rama while back saw the machines, .....must buy konami products........win

  • psychic_zebra

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 3:59 pm PT

    After the weirdness that was the near-end of Metal Gear Solid 2, I wouldn't be surprised if Konami did slip some subliminal message in there. Oh well. Keep making great games, Konami!

  • Wolf26pack

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 3:58 pm PT

    Sneaky Very Sneaky

  • zero_cool098

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 3:55 pm PT

    whats a subliminal message?

  • _equivocal_

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 3:53 pm PT

    Here is some info on subliminal messaging: http://www.subliminal-message.info/subliminal_perception_manual.htm. I just found it and make no claims as to its accuracy, but it does list a bunch of Psychological articles pertaining to the subject. In regards to this article, slot machines use so many not so subtle psychological techniques to keep you gambling, it seems odd they would pick the most obscure one out!

  • JFreezy02

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 3:49 pm PT

    Mo money, Mo money!!

  • 1PSman

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 3:36 pm PT

    lemon lime limon lime sublimonal messeges lol

  • g_max_

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:56 pm PT

    Hmm... Too bad regular video games don't have "regulators" that would make developers fix bugs... Heh.

  • ScreamDream

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:56 pm PT

    It's warmed up now, just one more spin. Oops, ok another.

  • TRH4469

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:36 pm PT

    the best way for a subliminal message to work is for no one to notice it. just the fact that they exposed the glitch makes the message not subliminal anymore. boom, problem solved.

  • ert47

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:30 pm PT

    Flashing Lights!!!! \o/

  • killjoy188

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:21 pm PT

    Subliminal messages have been proven over and over to not work. I can't believe a government would be that superstitious. ;p

  • szindragon

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm PT

    I don't need subliminal messaging to make me gamble all my money away!

  • runstalker

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:14 pm PT

    "...flashed winning jackpot symbols for one-fifth of a second during every spin." Considering gambling addictions and such, they had no choice. 1/5th of a second seems suspect. For me, it's clearly just a software glitch.

  • Lasafrog

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:09 pm PT

    Isn't that the POINT ?????? Jesus, subliminal advertising is what ad campaigns have been about for years. Man, next thing you know they'll take the erect man off Camel Cigarette boxes... the horror!

    I can see the headlines in the Canadian Tribune, ay... "Local Casino Shut Down for Encouraging Gambling"

    Give. Me. A. Break. When are people going to start taking ownership, and when are we going to simply identify that a lot of people are sheep.

    Come to think of it, I may consider suing Dennys because everytime I see their pancake ads, it subliminally coerces me to eat... bastards!

  • turgore

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:09 pm PT

    So that's why i wanna buy Konami stuff...

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    Subliminal messages in the slot machine. Genius!

  • josephmadde2005

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 2:01 pm PT

    There is plenty of proven data on Subliminals, they do exist and are used all the time. Do some research before you spout nonsense. Hell I heard about them in my first year of college. The old theatre Coke advertisement experiments. And the Tavistock Institute and the CIA studied the uses for subliminals in propoganda, marketing, and so called "brainwashing" during their rather infamous MKULTRA experiments. Those documents are declassified go and have a look. Although if you do not understand the subject matter that is hidden it is ineffective. However the odds are this is just a glitch.

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