Slots: Praying to the God of Chance

Placeholder author icon
By David V. Forrest ’60

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(Delphinium Books) In this book, Forrest looks at one of America’s favorite games, slots. He considers many different perspectives in evaluating the game — from treating it as entertainment to treating it as religion. Forrest uses insights from neuropsychiatry, sociology, and culture to show how slots have become as powerful as they are. Forrest is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Paw in print

Image
The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
The Latest Issue

October 2025

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott ’92; President Eisgruber ’83 defends higher ed; Julia Ioffe ’05 explains Russia.