Jackpot fever takes hold among students

Jackpot fever takes hold among students

By Israr Ardiansyah

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Anto, a student at a well-known private
university in Yogyakarta, has been feeling uncomfortable and
worried lately. His financial condition is chaotic as a result of
his hobby of playing the jackpot with Rp 100 coins.

Since he began to indulge in his hobby six months ago he has
spent Rp 6 to 8 million. Anto himself greatly regrets all this,
but he finds it difficult to stop this pastime activity.

"Frankly speaking, it is hard for me to stop. I am aware that
it is difficult to win at the jackpot, but, I do not know, every
time there is money, the push to play the jackpot is very
strong," said Anto, not his real name.

He said he often plays hooky only to satisfy his desire to
play the jackpot. In short, no day passes without Anto playing
the jackpot. In front of the machine he sits hours on end from
morning till late at night.

Anto looked disheveled. He told The Jakarta Post that he has
no spirit in life. "Before I doze off at night I always think
hard how I can recoup my losses at the jackpot," he said. The
next day he would be back at the jackpot machine.

Once, Anto lost Rp 2 million in a month. He deceived his
parents in order to get some money. That was not enough. He had
to borrow some more from several people.

In one day Anto can lose up to Rp 200,000. If he wins it is a
maximum of Rp 50,000. "In 10 games I can only win twice at the
most," he said.

Budi (not his real name either), a student at a state
university in Yogyakarta, has been in the game for two years.
Even though he is not as "crazy" as Anto, he admits to losing Rp
20,000 to Rp 30,000 in one session.

"I cannot help playing the jackpot," he said.

Budi was once determined to stop playing. Before two months
were over he was back at the game. Now he plays regularly again.
In one week he goes three times to the jackpot joint.

Many more students and other people in Yogyakarta, and perhaps
in other cities, are obsessed with the jackpot. According to a
guard of a jackpot saloon in the shopping area on Jl. Solo,
Yogyakarta, a man with wife and two children played the jackpot
nearly every day. Every time he lost not less than Rp 200,000.

"After a few months the pair divorced. All his belongings were
sacrificed to allow him to play the jackpot. He still has a lot
of debts," he said.

Machine

A jackpot machine is smaller than a video game machine. It is
the size of a 20-inch TV set. For some people the jackpot game
has its attraction in its gambling element. The small lamp moving
electronically according to the computerized program will fall in
the columns with symbols or pictures which determine the credit
for the player.

For example, if a player puts one Rp 100 coin in a column with
the picture of a watermelon slice, and the electronic lamp stops
exactly there, he will get a credit of either 20 or 40 (in the
latter case the lamp in the middle of the jackpot will burst). It
means that the player can get 20 or 40 times the number of coins
put in the machine.

The picture with grapes yields the least, two credits for one
coin. One coin on the picture with an apple yields five credits.

Credits are multiplied in accordance with the number of coins.
For example, nine coins on the picture of grapes will result in
18 coins. A player can also try his luck with the right-left
button. If e.g. a player wagers 10 coins on the left and the lamp
falls on the left side, he will receive a credit of 20.

Skillful players with sharp instincts occasionally win. But
more often jackpot players are the losers. Some active players
say it is hard to beat the jackpot.

"All things considered, the amateurs at the jackpot game
certainly suffer losses. What is the meaning of winning once or
twice if you lose 10 times?" asked Joni (not his real name), a
teacher at a well-known private high school.

He plays the jackpot for its entertainment value although he
knows its high cost. He may spend as much as Rp 50,000 to Rp
100,000 in one session of play.

In Yogyakarta it is not difficult to find jackpot joints. The
jackpot game was introduced in the city some four years ago. At
the time there were only a few places to play the game.

Since the economic crisis in mid-1997 jackpot joints have
sprung up everywhere. The number of localities is higher than 30.
One of the jackpot operators is said to have five places with
jackpot machines.

In order not to give the impression of a place of gambling,
jackpot machines are placed in one room with video games known as
ding dong. The video games machines are usually placed at the
front to screen off the sight of the jackpot machines. Jackpot
joints are mostly located in busy shopping centers like Jl. Solo
and Jl. Malioboro.

The jackpot business is profitable and easy to operate. Hence,
the many joints nowadays. Some of them open 24 hours a day.

The profits reaped by jackpot operators are enormous. One
operator with 20 machines for example can make a gross profit of
Rp 300,000 a day.

"Profits double at the beginning of the month. There are many
visitors because the students have received their monthly
allowance from their parents," says an employee of a jackpot
joint on Jl. Solo.

He says operators hardly ever lose because a jackpot machine
can be programmed in such a way that operators keep winning.
Only, because of the many competitors, operators get less profit
nowadays. The turnover has declined.

The jackpot operators are said to have strong backing from the
military, the police and the regional administration. They also
have in their pay hoodlums to discourage losers from disturbing
order.

Once it happened that security people of a political
organization stormed a jackpot center. Not long afterwards,
however, the joint started operating again as if nothing had
happened.

It is very ironical indeed that amidst the present economic
turmoil, there are some people making profits in such ruthless
ways. It is unfortunate that the victims of the jackpot game in
Yogyakarta are mostly students -- a segment of the people who
nowadays carry the image of reform heroes.