Human-on-Technology Crime - When Slot Players Attack

Technology inspires frustration.    Everyone who has ever witnessed a computer crash that results in the loss of critical files, or simply watched a tablet, mobile phone, or other digital device suddenly pull a Rip Van Winkle, knows the sweet temptation of adjusting the offending device with the nearest blunt instrument, or even hands and feet.  (On several occasions when my office computer has chosen catatonia as a systems response, the mere thought of using the Louisville Slugger in my office as a programming tool has proved surprisingly satisfying, even calming.)  No wonder that, according to TechNewsDaily, a 2011 survey by the security software firm Avira found that approximately 39 percent of people frustrated by a computer have cursed or yelled at the computer out loud and 9 percent have hit the computer with an object such as a fist or baseball bat.

Sadly, in the gaming world computer-driven slot machines are far more likely than their home/office kin to be the victims of assault. The New York Times recently reported that since the new Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York opened in October 2011, "the police have arrested 41 people accused of damaging its machines," compared to "19 arrests of casino patrons for larceny, mostly picking pockets, and 19 arrests for assault."  The notion that, unlike a street mugging, no slot ever forced a player to give up his or her money apparently is not part of the decisional calculus that leads some players to misdemeanor prosecution or payment of thousands of dollars for the damage they cause.

Although the Times quoted the Queens District Attorney as saying that overall the casino "has so far proved to be a remarkably safe place," digital slots should take little comfort.  After all, when a disgruntled player starts a beatdown on a hapless slot, casino security are unlikely to better the response time of even the most dedicated police department. Maybe slots programmers should take pity on their creations and build in cameras and algorithms that allow computers to determine when a human face shows happiness or frustration, so a slot about to be dry-gulched can call for help.  Even on a casino floor, there's need for a neighborhood watch.