 |
"Deal Me In"
A weekly column by Mark Pilarski |
Sorry, this week Mark Pilarski is on vacation with the FLU!
Revisiting, Do Casinos Cheat?
Before I Deal: This past week I was deluged with calls and e-mail
about an investigative report by ABC-TV's PrimeTime regarding slot
machines in Nevada that are preprogrammed for "near-miss" read-outs,
which entice gamblers to play longer. The theme of the discourse was "I
knew all along they were cheating us."
PrimeTime's main source; a former Nevada Gaming Control Board computer
whiz and convicted felon named Ron Harris, who prior to sentencing found
religion.
Sorry, but I'll stick with my biased conviction that because casinos have
the percentages working for them on each and every slot, there is little
chance they would conspire, in this case with a slot manufacturer, to cheat
a patron. All pulls of the slot handle produce random results-albeit results
that, based on the slot pay table, generally create losers. Besides, near-miss
technology is not only illegal in Nevada, but tampering with a computer
chip can easily be detected with the right equipment, even by a low-level
computer nerd like me. Chips are not only tested before leaving the factory
but randomly checked for integrity on the casino floor.
So below is a past column we'll revisit regarding casino cheating. Of course,
I'll eat said words if I'm wrong, plus change my beliefs pronto if conclusive
hard-core evidence really shows a widespread defrauding of the American
consumer. But I'm betting, for once, with the house. Have faith though;
I will follow keenly the PrimeTime story without reserve, whistle
in hand.
Dear Mark,
I have always been a bit suspicious of casinos and especially their ability
to cheat players. Come clean, Mark. Do the casinos tell the dealers to cheat
the customer? Ron T. Chicago, IL
If you follow my column regularly, Ron, you will notice my commentary ordinarily
puts me on the side of the player. With machete in hand, I am always willing
to slash through the green felt jungle for my readers. Most would call me
a casino adversary/player advocate. Thank you. But in the case of a casino
cheating a player, Ron, I would be remiss if I didn't say with 99.9 percent
conviction that the casinos are in no way out to cheat you.
There are two key reasons why casinos don't play the game of deception.
First, most casinos are publicly traded companies on the NYSE not interested
in exposing their gaming license to loss with any inkling of cheating going
on. Also, here in Nevada, you won't find a more regulated industry chock-full
of regulations that would close a casino down for defrauding the public.
A second, if not even more significant reason, is the way casinos reap their
profits-paying players less than the true odds. Meaning, every game offered
to the player is mathematically in the casino's favor. Example: When you
flip a coin there is a 50/50 chance of your winning. But in a casino, instead
of getting even money for every dollar you wager, you are paid 99¢,
or 83¢ or maybe even 75¢. This in a nutshell is how casinos operate
their license to print money, paying you less than even money on every bet
you make.
Now, if every single wager placed in the casino is based on that principle,
why, Ron, would they ever want to swindle you? That's not to say that a
rogue employee on his own never tries to manipulate the cards in the casino's
favor. That is why the casino manager watches the shift manager, who watches
the pit bosses, who watch the floorman, who watches the dealers-with the
eye in the sky (camera in the ceiling) watching everybody. It doesn't take
long for a dishonest employee to be weeded out.
I would also note that in 17 years of casino employment, working in seven
different casinos, I have never been asked to do even the slightest thing
that borders on fraud. I have been asked to speed up my hands per hour dealing
blackjack or pick up the pace on a crap game, but that's to get the math
to work in the casino's favor-never to cheat.
So, Ron, I would be more suspicious of the wagers you make, not the casino.
Let me ask you this: Are you getting back 75¢ (keno) for every dollar
bet, or 99¢, (perfect basic strategy in blackjack)?
Before I Shuffle: Coincidentally, this past week another TV news
magazine program, to which I promised confidentiality for both the show's
name and content, wanted my opinion about an upcoming investigative report
they were doing regarding a highly sensitive casino issue. Because my take
on the subject matter wasn't the sensationalist spin that would improve
ratings, my viewpoint will get tossed in the cutting room's wastebasket.
Why should they use me? In the gambling industry they can easily find someone
with limited credentials willing to say off camera or in silhouette, "Yeah,
that's the norm, happens all the time." Sounds very similar to the
PrimeTime investigative piece above.
Got a question about gambling? Write to: Deal Me In, 774 Mays Blvd.
Suite 10, Incline Village, NV 89451 or e-mail:
winners@winner.com
· To order Mark Pilarski's "Hooked on Winning"
audio cassettes-laminated win cards package ($12.95 plus $2. S&H)
call (800) WINNERS.
Archived "Deal Me In" Columns
All contents copyright © 1997, Winners Publishing. All rights reserved.
URL: http://winner.com/Current.html
Got a question about gambling? Write to: Deal Me In, 774 Mays Blvd.
Suite 10, Incline Village, NV 89451 or e-mail:
winners@winner.com
·
To order Mark Pilarski's "Hooked on Winning" audio
cassettes-laminated win cards package
($12.95 plus $2. S&H) call (800) WINNERS.
"Deal Me In copyright © 1996, 1997, Winners Publishing.
All rights reserved.
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