PLAYERS TALK

WATCHING SOMEONE LOSE ONLINE

Why Would Gamblers Be Interested?

Hello Experts! I’m a longtime reader and I’ve never written in before. Over the years, you’ve answered a lot of my questions because others have asked them too. But, I’m curious to know what you think about this question. One of my friends, who doesn’t gamble, told me they watched a slot video where the person played one game after another, live, and in less than one hour, they lost over $20,000! Why would anyone, much less a gambler, watch a YouTube or Social Media video of gambling? My friend couldn’t give me an answer, they just thought it was funny. Regardless of if they win or lose in the video, who cares? James Hill—Mesa, AZ

Hi James! Thanks for your great question. We have the same question too! Why watch someone gamble in a video? You can watch people win and lose, live, in person, all day long! Sorry, it’s true! As you know from previous articles, we have many issues with internet slot videos.

Here are our concerns: 1. They aren’t real. They are subject to editing. The individuals recording them can pick and choose which gambling sessions (or parts of them) to post. Unless they do them live. But it sounds like that’s when things went wrong. $20,000 worth of wrong! Isn’t that telling!

2. They are misleading because they never show the entire picture of the gambling experience. Gambling is for entertainment purposes and players should always have a fixed bankroll that is set aside for gambling. Even videos that attempt to show the entire experience have extreme difficulty satisfying the first point above.

3. Unless a viewer has access to the video producer’s Win/Loss statements from all their gambling activities across the year, and their tax returns to examine exactly where all the money is coming from to fund the videos, these videos and the people behind them are all full of BS.

4. These video producers don’t know what they are talking about. Since they didn’t design the slot themselves, their videos are riddled with incorrect and misleading information. Disregard any comments they make about the slots, casinos, the industry, etc.

5. These videos are being shot without the consent of the casinos, the slot manufacturers (those slots, their math models, their graphics, and music are copyrighted, i.e. Wheel Of Fortune Slots, just like the movie Star Wars or the TV series Friends or the latest album by The Rolling Stones), and other patrons. Can you say “lawsuit?” Honestly, we’re not sure why this hasn’t happened publicly yet. We have heard of several lawsuits being settled out of court over internet slot videos. But still, when will someone, or a company, file a lawsuit (maybe a class action) against the video producers and the websites that keep the videos visible?

In our opinion, the casino, the slot manufacturer (and any copyrighted material they are using or own), brand licensors, and patrons all have a claim for damages against the video’s producer. As a company, and players, we don’t want our likeness, voices, appearance associated with a time and place, or other copyrighted material we own, used without consent or remuneration. I would think others would feel similarly. Especially the casino at which that $20,000 loss happened! Personally we wouldn’t want to step foot in that casino. Their slots are, obviously, “tight!” Isn’t that the basic impression? All players can do there is lose, right? Why would you play at a casino where you can lose $20,000 in one hour? Why would a casino want to participate or, since we’re sure the video is still out there on the internet, advertise that? On the other hand, showing winning all the time is just BS too. See point one above.

6. With video posters that purport to show big wins, bigger wins, even bigger wins, and so on, they are truly playing with fire. Unless the videos are faked (and there are a variety of ways to achieve this with just a small amount of production costs and time), the video producer has to start putting more and more money in play on higher and higher denomination slots in order to achieve the next “Massive Win—Click Here!” video. Which again, leads us to points one, two, and three.

7. Just like all the “reality” TV series out there, either the program is showing (truthfully or not) something most individuals don’t want to or can’t do, or it’s showing escapism. That is, either watch a BASE jumper, or look at what these people are up to with their problems and I’m glad I’m not them because all I can do is laugh at them. We won’t bring any show names into the discussion, but you can distinguish between the two categories! Internet slot videos and their audiences are no different.

8. Some people enjoy watching other people. Literally. They are interested in hair, nails, makeup, clothes, attitude, behavior, drama, etc. And watchers aren't gamblers. It’s this whole other thing that we can’t relate to when it comes to gambling. Sure, we’ve seen other people win. Sure, we’ve watched someone in a bonus. But it’s never for more than a minute. That’s someone else’s experience. It doesn't do anything for us. Are they sharing their “win” with us? Nope! Plus, you don’t know their story. Are they up or down overall? Are they leaving in five minutes, never to return? Will you get the whole truth out of them? Nope! See point number three.

9. These videos are posted in order to generate revenue. Every view of an ad or a click-through gives the poster money for no reason other than to take advantage of your time. Why participate in that?

10. We’ll just put this out there too...At what point does the video producer exhibit or encourage problem gambling behavior?

James, our advice is to stop watching. Encourage others to stop watching. These videos aren't worth anybody’s time.

Thanks for all the questions, we love hearing from you. Until next month, stay safe, have fun and good luck! $