Las Vegas-based slot manufacturer Konami Gaming had 87 selected slot machines removed from the floor of Ontario casinos after a bug was found that occasionally flashed jackpot wins across the reel symbols.

The four themes removed were Billionaires, Most Wanted, Sgt. Fritters, and Sticks and Stones.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which regulates Canadian gaming, found something suspicious on these games while watching them run in slow motion.

While playing the games, a 5-of-a-kind of the jackpot symbol would flash for a fifth of a second right before the reels began to spin.

Such a flash would be invisible upon regular viewing but could be picked up subconsciously, subliminally inducing the player into feeling as if he's won or is winning.

The regulatory commission tests each machine before sending it to market, but it does not test for subliminal messages.

The Canadian Broadcasting Co. aired the report on "The National," causing casinos in other jurisdictions and countries (including the U.S.) to also pull the machines.

Subliminal marketing is controversial and unproven, with psychologists unable to come up with evidence that it works in controlled testing. Konami states that the machines removed were developed in 2001 and are among the lowest-performing in their entire library.

Konami denies it intentionally placed messages in the machines and is creating a patch to fix the bug. Konami also plans to sue the Canadian Broadcasting Co. for the inaccurate and damaging report to their company that could have long-lasting effects on their integrity.