The survey found that a deprived suburb of Stockholm called Botkyrka with low average incomes housed more than fifty of Svenska Spel's Jack Vegas gambling machines. In comparison, one of Stockholm's most affluent suburbs (Danderyd) has no Jack Vegas machines. Svenska Spel CEO Jesper Karrbrink hit back in an interview on Swedish raido saying, "Our job is to provide safe and responsible options in the areas where the players are. It is quite possible that there are more people interested in playing on these kind of machines in Botkyrka than in Danderyd. It is therefore quite natural that our machines should be situated there." So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do the players create the machines or the machines create the players? Gambling in itself is a strangely class-ridden activity. Despite efforts and protestations to the contrary from most sectors of the industry, there are quite clearly “types” that indulge in different activities. A day at the races may attract one type of punter, while a night at the dogs attracts another. An evening playing roulette in Monte Carlo versus an afternoon’s bingo in Bognor. Slots in Las Vegas compared to ‘Slots’ in a Belgian bar. The list is endless and can be endlessly subdivided. Where does the humble AWP fit in? A well-loved machine in a working men’s club. A distraction for lorry drivers in a service station, or an afternoon out of the cold and an opportunity to chat in a seaside arcade out of season. Just because it isn’t at the glamorous end of gambling does that make it wrong? There appears to be some muddle-headed thinking in Sweden about the morals of the situation. If the machines are legal, then they should be available to play. If you don’t like the idea of people on low incomes playing machines, then don’t legislate for them. But to suggest that they can’t make up their own minds is just plain patronising. Stephanie Norbury

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