I don't gamble, so the debates over bringing slot machines to Maryland never held any special interest for me. I've always thought that if others want to try to beat the house, more power to them.
That all changed last week when I was sent to work on the expansion of the Woodbine OLG slots parlor outside Toronto. OLG is the acronym for the Ontario Legalized Gambling authority that oversees the facility. It's a 3,000-machine parlor that is doubling its capacity.
Woodbine OLG is actually more that a slots parlor. The facility also has a beautiful racetrack where trotters run in all kind of weather nightly.
But it was my experience working in the slots area that I would like to comment on.
Our crew would assemble at 5 a.m. and enter through the existing parlor. To our surprise, the place would be packed with weary-eyed players. Most of them were well over 65. most were American Indian and most were couples.
I asked one of our security escorts how many of these people had been there all night. He replied that 90 percent had. That meant that approximately 2,500 people who didn't look as though they could afford to be playing slots had been there all night long — and probably would be there throughout much of the upcoming afternoon.
As we walked through the rows of machines, our escort pointed out that just about every player had a backpack with them. So I'm thinking that they probably contained water or snacks for folks planning to be camped out all night.
That was when the escort explained that the players are very "territorial" about the machines. If they find one they consider "weak" they will sit at that machine as long as possible.
That is where the backpacks come in. They contained adult diapers so that the players wouldn't have to get up to relieve themselves.
As we walked through the machines I notice several "diaper rolls" neatly tucked under some game pedestals. It occurred to me that these people were using the diapers, then changing them in place so as not to lose "their" machine.
Say what you will about legalized gambling, but it turned my stomach that a government agency could prey on the weaknesses of the people who can least afford to gamble.
In my opinion, if you are taking packs of adult diapers into the slots parlor so you won't need to leave your machine, that is a sickness the gambling authority not only is ignoring but is actually making worse.
Bob McCrobie