Are Trinis addicted to gambling – Hostage to one-armed bandit

News Stephon Nicholas 6 Hrs Ago

An unidentified man tries his luck in one of the slot machines at a Port of Spain business on July 4. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

THOUSANDS of people are being held hostage in TT by a growing gambling addiction.

Imagine life as a prisoner, but this is no ordinary prison – there are no steel bars, no tall walls and strict restrictions. Instead, those held hostage by their gambling addiction are supplied with unlimited free liquor and food at various intervals, to stay long enough to spend as much as possible

Gambling has become a local past-time, whether it’s the government-approved Play Whe, Pick Two, Cashpot or Lotto games, the roulette machines at almost every bar across the country, or the high stakes at various casinos around the islands.

An eerie similarity to prison is that casinos have no windows and it is very difficult to tell the passage of time. There are no clocks on the walls, however, ATM machines are available in case patrons require more money to play.

The red carpet, the bright lights, bold and exciting colours and bubbly sound effects of the machines take patrons back in time as a kid in an amusement park. However, the rides are more expensive and the journey for some, ends in financial ruin.

In TT, the gambling industry is governed by the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission. According to a 2021 report, the gaming industry in TT reels in approximately $15 billion annually. However, the industry pays just approximately $82 million in corporate tax.

Roulette machines operated primarily by Chinese business people can be found at many bars, restaurants in the country. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

Newsday sent questions to the commission’s corporate communications manager Shahad Ali, enquiring about the number of casinos and machines in the country, the proliferation of roulette machines in bars and whether they were regulated, as well as what measures are in place to help patrons who become addicted.

Ali responded on May 20, “The Gambling Control Commission is currently in a transitional phase between the partial and full proclamation of the Act. As such, we are not in a position to provide the depth of insight being sought at this stage. We are confident that, in the future, we will be appropriately positioned to share updates with both the public and the media. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued interest in the work of the Commission.”

‘The chase more than the win’

In an interview with Newsday, a retiree, Jane Doe, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described her penchant for gambling in casinos as a “controlled addiction.”

She said while she enjoys the thrill of the casino, it is not a place for young people.

“People who don’t have money and people who are not retired and who have an addictive nature, they should not be in casinos. If they have not built a nest egg, you should stay away – not that you should build a nest egg and waste it here. It is very, very addictive,” she said.

She said while inside the walls of a casino “you don’t have any control, but once I’m out, I’m okay.

“You have to put things in place. Have a budget. When you really get out of control you might go over your budget, but you have to compensate for it and say, I can’t go this time.”

In this file photo, a variety of colourful, brightly lit gaming machines are seen at a Trincity casino. -

Jane said she started gambling abroad on family vacations, enjoying experiences in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, also known as Sin City.

“It was like going to an amusement park for a child. It was similar as if I take my grandchild to Chucky Cheese. It was really enjoyable because I come from a background where it was taboo to even enter a casino.”

Jane, who enjoys playing the slot machines, said she started going to casinos in TT on her own about five years ago.

“It is not about winning money – because you’re going in with money. It’s not about going in to get rich or to make money. Anybody going in to make money, it’s something else for them.

“Who just going in to have fun, you have to have the money to have fun.”

Jane said the most she has won was around $10,000. Asked to explain the thrill that accompanies it, she said, “The chase is more than the win.”

There have been rumours that timing a slot machine is the key to success.

Some people are noted to watch others play and if someone loses for a prolonged period, the rationale is that the machine is due for a win.

On whether she has a strategy to be successful, Jane burst out laughing, “I cannot time it. I cannot do anything (to influence it). For all I know it has some people sitting in a back room, they feel sorry for you and they make the machine give you a win. I have no idea.”

As a retiree, she said gambling was a safe past-time for her and many others.

In this file photo, a punter tries his luck in one of National Lotteries Control Board online games. -

She said her habit does not affect her private life as she prioritises family time on weekends and visits the casino mostly on weekdays.

“In the week if I’m bored I’ll go. I go once a week. If I went once and I win, then I have a budget to go twice.”

$54,000 lost in one night

Another gambler John, 30, who also requested anonymity, is employed in a senior position at a corporate job. However, he told Newsday, while he makes good money at his job, he has a private business which provides steady income.

Ironically, John said it was his father who got him into gambling, carrying him to a casino one time. He said when they left, his dad turned to him and said with a firm voice, “Don’t ever go back in the casino.”

He said they went to a casino in Grand Bazaar and his father gave him $100 to play.

“I started to play the (slot) machines, the one-armed bandit machines,” he said.

He said he won $300 that evening, which he viewed back then as “plenty money.

“From going with nothing, you get $300 and free drinks and food, and the evening was well entertained.”

John said he convinced two friends to go another time and they began attending on a regular basis.

He said it wasn’t long before they became addicted and resorted to borrowing to fuel their habit

“We started to gamble and we succeeded in winning money continuously until we realised the one-armed bandit machine wasn’t paying so much. We started cards and we started to go like that.

“Sometimes later, we get broke. The house take we. And when the house take we, we started to borrow money from people. At times, I would have gotten paid and my money done that same night. But I always had the vengeance of going back to see if I win back my money.”

Asked why he didn’t take his father’s advice to not go back in the casino, John replied, “I didn’t take his advice because I was getting free money, free drinks, and it was a good excitement.”

Steve Bailey, behavioural psychologist. -

He said the ambience and hospitality he experienced in his first trip to the casino, left him wanting more.

“That feeling was good because I was working for a small salary at the point in time. I felt so good and people were so courteous and nice to you. You getting drinks coming to you – you don’t have to ask, they would just keep on bringing things. People pushing around a trolley with food, all you had to do was just take it off the trolley.

“And I find it was real good. The ambience itself was nice – red carpet, keeping you awake. The light, the music, hearing the music from the next machine going ching, ching, ching, ching, ching.

“When you’re hearing all that, now you looking across, you sour on this machine, so you jump on the next machine, you get through. And that was the excitement.”

Asked what made him realise he was in too deep, he said, “I never had a time I realised I was a bit too deep because when my money finished there, I would find other alternatives to get money to go back.

“So I would come up with some nancy story for my parents or my relatives and say something wrong with my vehicle. And when I get pay, I’ll pay them back.”

Did he feel guilty lying to his loved ones?

“Actually, it was my money. So I didn’t mind using other people’s money to make back my money. I didn’t feel guilty at all. I just needed the money quick.”

Asked if he felt the saying that house always wins was true, John was defiant..

“I always thought I was a winner. Because again, free drinks and food. But it’s only eventually as I started to gamble more and more and more, I realised that the house, it really take me.

“But in the long run, I kind of had the excitement with it. Yeah. So you don’t just measure it on money. You measure it on the enjoyment and the experience as well.”

What was the most he has ever lost?

“The most I’ve ever lost at one night, I would say $19,000 at one night. No, actually, it was around $54,000,” he said matter-of-factly.

“The first time it was $19,000. The $19,000 was in December. I got paid and normally I always get bonus. I get all that and I went with the $19,000. And I could have gambled more, but I get intoxicated.”

How did losing so much make him feel?

“I felt upset. I felt like I needed to go back the next day. I needed to get back my money.”

He recalled losing almost $54,000 at a casino in Chaguanas.

He said that evening another patron playing three-card poker won almost $20,000 after hitting a straight flush (three consecutive cards in the same suit). He said he was in awe as staff came out with a stroller holding a glass case with bright pink chips.

“So since that, I always wanted to aim big and hit hard.”

He said he began playing multiple hands in three-card poker and began digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole.

Best excitement is winning

He said he recognises he has an addiction, but he enjoys gambling too much to stop. He said sometimes it leaves him depressed, but the urge to make back the money quickly improves his mood.

“It’s a disease. My family members are not aware, it can be tough, depressing.”

He recalled having to cancel a family trip because he lost almost US$3,000, which was supposed to cover tickets, hotel and expenses, gambling on three-card poker.

He said the most he has ever won was about $9,600.

John said his gambling affected his personal relationship with his ex-girlfriend as he had to constantly make up excuses for why he was out late or why he was short of cash. He said he sometimes had to lie and say he forgot his wallet home.

Apart from casinos, John also plays roulette machines at various bars and even gambles on online sites.

John said seeking treatment to stop gambling would cause an upheaval in his life.

“It would be nice if I could stop completely, but there are plenty of things I would have to stop. I would have to change my friends. Everybody I surround myself with are gamblers.”

Asked if in the future he has a child, would he feel comfortable with them gambling?

“Definitely not. I think if I had a family on my own, I think I might change. Right now I ain’t have a parrot on a stick to see about.”

Reminded that he did not follow his father’s advice to not go back, John said, “I wouldn’t encourage him. I would keep him away.”

He encouraged people who are addicted to gambling to seek help.

“I know the feeling of not having money, and people do all kinds of things to get the money to fuel the addiction. But for me, I have the money coming in for me. It is a dangerous addiction when you lose. But you wouldn’t believe it, the best excitement is winning.”

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Psychologist: No such thing as ‘controlled addiction’

Behavioural psychologist Steve Bailey dismissed Jane’s assertion about it being a controlled addition, saying this was an oxymoron. He said he has treated many people with gambling addictions who have lost millions of dollars, their families and their life savings.

“I’ve seen people have to leave the village that they lived in because they owe everyone in the village. So there’s no control.”

He said there are a bunch of neurochemicals in the brain that need to be balanced to live a healthy life. Among them, he said, is dopamine, a feel-good neurochemical which is triggered by casino games.

However, he said all dopamines are not made equal.

“Good dopamine is when you strive towards something. You study long and hard, you pass an exam, you do well, that release of dopamine could last years, because you get a sense of well-being, a sense of achievement.”

He said cheap dopamine gives a “rush” to the person.

“If you have poor social skills and you have difficulty dating someone, you may go to a porn site. And you’re in the porn site and that rush of dopamine comes up. You become addicted to porn. Similar with gambling. You go into a casino and you will get a trickle of cash from the slot machine – it hooks you.”

Bailey said he is not surprised that some people believe the addiction is not harmful to them.

“When you step in the casino, it’s like you step in a different world. They give you snacks and they give you food and all kinds of stuff like that. Sometimes what happens, I don’t know if that happens in Trinidad, but in other countries they pump oxygen in the system, in the AC system, so you don’t get sleepy.

“That’s the essence of the gambling addiction. It really will hook you because you always feel like you’re always on the edge. You feel like the next one will be my jackpot, and it never comes.”