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Jack Kay: A long way from Redwood Avenue
By GERRY POSNER Jacob Moses Koslofsky has come a long distance in many ways. First of all, his parents, Zachary and Rae, had their name changed to Kay. Second, from the depths of the north end of Winnipeg, he ended up – after stops in Weyburn, Regina, and Montreal – in Toronto, where he has remained for over 40 years. And third, from a kid helping out in his father’s dry-cleaning business, he became a superstar in the generic pharmaceutical industry in Canada and abroad.
Jack grew up initially at 376 1/2 Redwood Avenue. Many readers may recall that some of the duplexes reflected the 1/2 as part of the address which, in the Kay family, was the upper part of the house. Jack walked to the Talmud Torah nearby and attended there until Grade 8. The family then moved up, both figuratively and literally, when they went north to Enniskillen Avenue. Jack had a year at the Talmud Torah on Matheson and a year of public school when the family moved to Regina. Jack was 16 when the big move west occurred as a result of an opportunity Jack’s father had in the laundry and dry cleaning business. The move to Regina also included Jack’s siblings, sister Charna and brother Iser. His older sister Bailah stayed in Winnipeg and later moved to Toronto.
Jack attended high school in Regina and later did a year at Regina College. Coming to Saskatchewan was in fact a return to where the family had started. Both Jack’s and Rae’s parents and grandparents, the Koslofskys and Levs (Rae’s surname), had roots in The Baron de Hirsch Colony. (Jack’s parents met there).
Jack’s family then moved a second time, this time to Weyburn. Jack worked with his father in the business there, also in a mental hospital located in the town… all of this by the age of 19. Jack sat out a year of school working as an attendant in the mental hospital and then enrolled in a three- year training program to become a psychiatric nurse. By 1961, Jack Kay was a Registered Psychiatric Nurse, having successfully passed the University of Saskatchewan exams.
After a couple years of work in that field, Jack was approached by a pharmaceutical company whose products were mainly in the psychiatric area, to become a sales representative for them. When he accepted their offer it meant a return to Winnipeg. Jack worked for six years, but soon he and a colleague and friend, Bill Lifchus, saw an opportunity. They started a company known as Sabra Pharmaceuticals. which really launched Jack into the area of pharmaceutical drugs
Four years later – in 1964, the business was sold to a company by the name of ICN Canada, located in Montreal. Payment came in the form of ICN shares plus a job with the company in Montreal. Once again, Jack picked up and moved with what were, by then, his wife and three children. He ended up working for ICN, which was a family business headed by Morris Goodman for seven years.
Life would have been comparatively easy for Jack had he stayed there, but Jack was approached by the Vice-President of Sales & Marketing of a new company called Apotex. headed by the late Barry Sherman, to see whether Jack might be a good fit for the business. Barry Sherman flew to Montreal to meet Jack Kay. Jack liked what he heard and, against the advice of Morris Goodman, accepted the offer to join Apotex in Toronto as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing. As they say, the rest is history.
Apotex in 1970 was a small operation, indeed far smaller than what Jack had left behind in Montreal with ICN. But Jack Kay was a very effective salesperson with what might be called impressive interpersonal skills. He and Barry Sherman built that business into the giant that it eventually became. Barry was the tech guy and possessed a gift in his ability to deal with patents, their validity and indeed, litigating about their validity. Yet with all of his strengths, Barry Sherman needed a guy like Jack Kay to make the sales. In fact, Jack could do what Barry could not. From a small company, Apotex grew to employ thousands, an accomplishment beyond Jack’s wildest dreams. When I asked someone in the pharmaceutical industry, a competitor in fact, who knew both Barry and Jack, his comment was that Barry never could have made Apotex the entity that it became without Jack Kay. In fact, Barry used to say about Jack Kay that Jack was the brother he never had. The two of them had their offices next to one another with a corridor separating them, so close that they used to yell at one another in Yiddish. Perhaps it was the “mamaloshen” that built Apotex, a business that has become dominant in the generic drug industry in Canada.
In 2017, as most readers likely recall, Barry and Honey Sherman were murdered in their home (in a case that remains unsolved.) Jack took over running the operation of the company, but one year later he was let go by one of the Sherman children. Jack is not exactly on the street though and, in fact, he is on the board of a couple other pharmaceutical start ups, including one with the legendary Aubrey Dan focused on the sale of drugs in the cannabis field designed to help with anxiety and depression.
His life is rather busy. In April 2017 Jack and Barry Sherman (eight months prior to his murder) were approached to assist with a project called “Neshama Hospice,” a palliative care residence with 10-12 beds and intended to be a place with Jewish values. They both agreed to donate a million dollars for the project and, with government support, the construction on that building is scheduled to start next year.
I asked Jack Kay if he thought that the murders of the Shermans would ever be solved and he said he doubted it. But, he did add this caveat.:Given the amount of money out there as a reward, it is possible that mouths might start to open.
The Jack Kay story is indeed a remarkable one given the modest beginnings to a star studded career and his role as an integral part of a large empire world renowned… all the way from Redwood Avenue. And Jack Kay has never forgotten from whence he came.
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Volatility, Hit Frequency, and RTP: Why the Number Casinos Advertise Is the Least Useful One
The return to player percentage looks clean as a casino data point. It gives players a neat number, usually around 94% to 97% for many online slots, and that number feels easy to compare. A 96.5% game appears better than a 95.2% game. The problem starts when players treat RTP as a forecast for their next 50 spins or one evening.
You may find the RTP listed on slot pages on a leading online casino in Ontario, but the number only tells part of the story. Two games can share the same RTP and create different sessions: one may return small wins often, while the other may drain a balance before one bonus round changes everything.
The RTP Trap
Return to player (RTP) measures the theoretical share of total wagers a game returns across a very large number of rounds. In plain terms, a 96% RTP slot returns about $96 for every $100 wagered in the long run. That does not mean one player who deposits $100 should expect $96 back.
The trap sits in the word “theoretical.” RTP comes from the game’s math model. It works across huge samples, not personal sessions. A player can finish far above that percentage, far below it, or with nothing left after a short run of poor results.
Is it useless then? No, RTP can still help. It gives a baseline cost of play. Lower-RTP games cost more on average than higher-RTP games. Still, once a game passes a reasonable threshold, the next question matters more: how does it distribute that return?
Hit Frequency: The Number That Shapes Session Feel
Hit frequency tells you how often a game produces a winning outcome. This often misleads players because any win can count. A spin that returns $0.10 on a $1 bet may still count as a hit, even though the player lost $0.90 in real terms.
A game can feel active because symbols connect often, sounds play, and the screen keeps celebrating small returns. The balance may still fall. In many modern slots, “win” does not always mean profit on the spin.
Hit frequency answers one practical question: how much silence can you tolerate? Some players dislike long dry spells. Others accept quieter sessions because they chase bonus rounds or larger payouts.
The educational site Get Gambling Facts gives a useful distinction: RTP concerns the percentage of money returned over time, while hit frequency concerns how often a machine stops on a winning combination.
Volatility: The Risk Label Players Need More Often
Volatility, also called variance, describes how unevenly a game pays. Low-volatility games tend to return smaller amounts more often. High-volatility games hold more value in rare events: bonus rounds, premium symbols, multipliers, or jackpots.
Here is where RTP becomes less useful on its own:
- A 96% low-volatility slot may give modest returns and longer play from the same balance.
- A 96% high-volatility slot may burn through funds quickly unless the player hits a strong feature.
- A progressive jackpot game may look exciting, but it often places more value on rare top prizes.
The same RTP can hide very different risk profiles. Players who ignore volatility often blame the casino or the game when the session follows its math design.
Why the Same RTP Can Feel So Different
Picture two slots with 96% RTP. Slot A pays small wins on many spins, has a modest top prize, and rarely creates dramatic balance swings. Slot B pays less often but offers a large max win and volatile bonus rounds. The advertised return matches, but the experience does not.
Slot A may suit a player who wants a slower bankroll drop and more regular feedback. Slot B suits someone who accepts sharper losses in exchange for a shot at a heavier payout.
A Better Way to Read a Slot Page
Most slot pages give players more clues than they notice. The trick is to read the details together rather than chase the highest percentage.
Start with RTP. If two games look similar, the higher number has better long-term value. Then check volatility. If the game uses terms such as high, very high, or extreme variance, lower your bet size or expect shorter sessions. Next, look at the paytable. A huge max win usually means the game saves a lot of its value for rare outcomes.
A sensible pre-play check looks like this:
- RTP: What is the average long-term return?
- Volatility: How rough can the session become?
- Hit frequency: How often will the game show any wins?
- Paytable: Where does most value sit?
To Conclude
Casinos advertise RTP because it looks objective, tidy, and easy to rank. Players should read it, but they should not give it more authority than it deserves. For long sessions, volatility may matter more than a small RTP difference. For comfort, hit frequency may explain the feel better than the payback rate.
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The Popularity of Simpler Slot Games in 2026: Review From Casino Online CrazyTower Experts
Online casinos now fill their libraries with numerous video slots that have dozens of functions, long bonus rounds, complex mechanics, and so on. Interestingly, despite this huge range of modern options, many Canadian visitors at sites like Casino Online CrazyTower here https://crazytower.com/ca/ no longer want complicated gameplay that requires constant attention and long explanations.
Simpler slots now attract a wider audience because they save time and create faster sessions. So, let’s figure out why this change happened and reasons for the popularity of simpler machines.
Why Many Players Are Returning to Basic Gameplay
Modern websites like Casino Online CrazyTower pushed complex video slots for years, but many people now prefer classic formats again. Simple gameplay has fewer interruptions and is simpler in terms of budgeting, which is important when you gamble for fun.
These are a few potential reasons explain why simpler slots became popular again in 2026:
- Faster rounds. Symbols appear quickly, and rounds continue without long animations or extended bonus sequences.
- Easier controls. Most classic slots have simple menus and familiar layouts that don’t confuse new visitors.
- Smaller feature lists. Simple slots usually have standard wilds, scatters, and multipliers instead of dozens of random mechanics.
- Better session flow. People spend more time on gameplay instead of reading explanations about symbols and special functions.
- Lower visual pressure. Simpler slots use calmer designs and shorter effects that don’t overload attention.
Classic gameplay also suits mobile devices better because shorter rounds work well on smaller screens. Plus, many visitors now prefer games that start instantly and explain their mechanics within seconds.
Features That Make Simpler Slots Appealing
Simple machines at Casino Online CrazyTower and similar websites continue to attract attention because they have a high gameplay speed. Many classic titles also replicate older casino machines that people already know from physical casinos.
However, these aren’t the only factors that attract gamblers. So, check out this list:
- Short bonus rounds. Free spins and multipliers finish quickly instead of interrupting gameplay for several minutes.
- Common and standard paylines. Traditional layouts help people understand payouts without long explanations.
- Faster loading times. Simpler graphics reduce waiting time on phones, tablets, and older computers.
- Stable gameplay pace. Long cutscenes and constant pop-up notifications don’t interrupt the session.
- Traditional themes. Fruit symbols, bars, sevens, and classic casino designs still attract large audiences.
- Smaller menus. Important information appears immediately without complicated tabs or hidden sections.
Modern video slots often contain too many mechanics in a single game. Developers now combine expanding reels, random modifiers, mission systems, tournaments, and multiple bonus levels in one title. Many visitors lose interest because gameplay turns repetitive and overloaded with constant interruptions.
Compare this to a session when you get results immediately and aren’t interrupted. These still have free spins and even mini risk games, but not as loaded as innovative titles.
Conclusion
Simple slots usually create better replay value because people understand the mechanics immediately. Common and standard gameplay doesn’t cause frustration and allows faster decisions during casino sessions.
Many classic slots also function better during short breaks because rounds finish quickly without long bonus interruptions. That’s why simpler slots became popular again at many casinos, including Casino Online CrazyTower and such.
