EPISODE · Feb 24, 2020 · 9 MIN

Slot machines

from 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy · host BBC World Service

First developed by a toy company in the 1890s, slot machines have become one of the most profitable tools of the gambling trade - but many who play them say winning isn't the point. So why can't people pull themselves away? Tim Harford looks under the spinning wheels and flashing lights to see what these devices reveal about the business of addiction.

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Slot machines

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