Gambling Myths: Sorting Out Fact and Fiction

A player who has figured out how the game works can predict the outcome.

It is impossible for anyone to predict the outcome of a game of chance, regardless of the game. The law of odds applies to all games of chance and gambling. This means that each draw and each throw of a pair of dice, for example, is independent of the previous and subsequent ones. Since the outcome is determined by chance, strategies of any kind are futile.

A video lottery terminal (VLT) or a casino slot machine that hasn’t paid out for a while is "due" to pay soon.

VLTs and slot machines are designed to pay out randomly. It is thus impossible to determine, control or predict the moment at which a prize will be paid out.

Furthermore, the payoff rate and the collection rate are two distinct concepts. It’s important not to get them confused. Find out more >>>

By dint of playing, every player will end up winning.

Betting on a game of chance means essentially or otherwise knowing you’re going to lose. The more you play, the more you increase your odds of losing the money bet on each game. Of course, some people occasionally do win more than the amount they bet. A monetary loss, however, is inevitable for those who play on a regular basis.

Winning a substantial amount of money in any game is a question of luck and the odds of losing are always greater than the odds of winning. For instance, the odds of winning the Lotto Max grand prize with one ticket are 1 in 28,633,528.

Some numbers are drawn more often than others in lottery draws.

Statistically, one number is just as likely to be drawn as any other. As an example, when a person throws a die, the odds are one in six that she’ll get a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. Throwing the die a second time will result in the same odds.

Quebecers spend more on video lottery terminals than on any other forms of gambling.

According to a 2009 Québec study*, the four most prevalent gambling activities in the province are:

• Buying lottery tickets (65.2%)
• Slot machines (10.1%)
• Poker (4.7%)
• Video Lottery Terminals (4.6%)

The study estimates that Québécois spend an average of $483 per year on games of chance. According to information gathered by Loto-Québec, this individual expenditure is the lowest in Canada.

*Kairouz, S., Nadeau, L., Portrait of gambling in Quebec: Prevalence, incidence and trajectories over four years [PDF Format, 1.20 MB - Help]. Concordia University, Université de Montréal, Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture, 2010

The percentage of compulsive gamblers in Québec increases yearly.

According to a study conducted in 2009*, pathological gambling does not appear to be growing in Québec. Nearly one-third of Québécois spent nothing on games of chance in 2009. Some 68.4% of Québécois are problem-free players or have a low risk of developing a problem. Approximately 82,000 Québécois (1.3% of the adult population) have a moderate risk of developing a gambling problem. Nearly 42,000 Québécois (0.7% of the adult population) are likely pathological gamblers.

*Kairouz, S., Nadeau, L., Portrait of gambling in Quebec: Prevalence, incidence and trajectories over four years [PDF Format, 1.20 MB - Help]. Concordia University, Université de Montréal, Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture, 2010