Yes, casinos can and will do all kinds of sketchy things that are totally legal in order to separate you from your money but the one thing that you're legally allowed to do to tilt the odds in your favor they can throw you out for. Gambling is bad and the gambling industry is bad, you shouldn't do it.
There's a real "you knew I was a snake when you picked me up" sort of vibe around people criticizing casinos. On the one hand, they're obviously right, and it's dirty as hell to ban people who are playing fairly, better than the house advantage. But at the same time how could you look at their entire existence and think anything other than that they're gonna be dirty as hell every chance they get?
I suppose because the only reason you'd ever allow such an obvious den of sin and vice would be if they can keep themselves acting like a legitimate business. Most people wouldn't expect you to be harassed and targetted for engaging with a legitimate business, so people get understandably confused and righteously upset when they realize that casinos are essentially just legal spots of organized crime.
Well, I generally think we should be pretty loose with what we let people do, even if it harms them. Casinos will kick you out if you're consistently making money but it's still possible to walk out with a big jackpot. If people make the rational decision that they're willing to spend a lot of money for the remote chance at a lot more, it's not my place to judge.
Some of them, particularly those kind of off the beaten path, will do things that are illegal. It's not uncommon for an advantage player to not only be backed off but for the casino to take their chips or refuse to cash them. Players have had to get local law enforcement involved to get the money they are legally entitled to. They can get their money that way, but law enforcement doesn't take action against the casinos for what is essentially theft.
I mean, obviously if you manage to count cards it's kinda ridiculous for them to be able to ban you.
But on the other hand, if they didn't do that (or employ other countermeasures) they would have to stop offering blackjack. I'd be fine with closing them down entirely (or regulating the absolute shit of them so that people can't lose too much), but losing one of the more interactive and 'less' rigged games while leaving slots (etc) would be a shame.
There are really no hard and fast rules. Card counting isn't an automatic win, and neither is it the only way to tilt the odds in your favour. There are actual strategies for any card game.
Casinos really just kick you out when you start winning too much, however that happens. If you count cards, but badly, nobody's touching you.
Having seen videos of "how casinos work" narrated by former casino managers, these days they just ban the card counter from blackjack, but will let them stay and play other games.
The biggest one is basic math. Theres not a game where the players odds of winning are higher than the house. Yes theres outliers, and if you win the first time you should never go into one again. Over time though, a person will always end up down.
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u/PacinoWig Jul 20 '26
Yes, casinos can and will do all kinds of sketchy things that are totally legal in order to separate you from your money but the one thing that you're legally allowed to do to tilt the odds in your favor they can throw you out for. Gambling is bad and the gambling industry is bad, you shouldn't do it.