So You Think You Can Cheat a Casino

Ever since the first person placed the first bet, people have been trying to figure out how to cheat while gambling.  Today, with casinos spread out across the United States and around the world, even more people seem to be motivated to try to rob a casino, beat the odds at a casino, or find a way to cheat a casino.  Watch out, however; it isn't as easy as you may think, and most people who try, end up in jail.  Here are some of the more creative ideas that some people have had.

Robbing a Casino

Recently, two very foolish young men tried to rob the Ballagio Casino in Las Vegas.  While one of them pepper-sprayed a few employees and guests near a gaming table, the other one grabbed about $150,000 in chips and headed for the door.  He barely made it twenty steps before he was pulled down by security.  Their defense?  Someone told them that no one would chase them through a crowded casino.  Big mistake!  In addition, they never considered that multiple people in that crowd would be photographing and filming them on their camera phones.  Their pictures were all over the news.  Obviously this was not an "Ocean's Eleven" operation. 

Beating The Odds

People with a mind for math have tried for years to figure out ways to beat the odds.  For example, they will tell you that roulette has the worst odds in a casino, and craps has the best.  One way they have tried to beat the odds is by learning to count the cards, especially when playing games like Blackjack (or 21).  That is why the casinos now use multiple decks of cards, rather than just one.  The more decks, the more difficult it is for anyone to keep them all straight in their head.

Cheating the Casino

Other people have simply tried to used technology to cheat the casinos.  Recently, some casino security managers have reported that cunning thieves have begun using bill validator devices that look like $l bills.  When slipped into a slot machine, however, the machine gives them $100 worth of credits.  Obviously, with so many credits in the machine, your chances of winning are greatly improved.  However, don't think that casinos are fooled very long, even by high-tech ways of cheating.  The Las Vegas casinos, as well as more remote casinos, are already being retrofitted to combat these devices.  In fact, I wouldn't have even mentioned these devices here, if I thought I was making it easier for anyone to cheat.  You know that by the time the Vegas security people are releasing this information to the news, it is definitely old technology!

A famous statement attributed to a member of the family that owns the Luxor Hotel and Casino is that the only way to make money at a casino is to own one.  Perhaps more people should consider this before they walk in the doors, especially if they think they can line their pockets by cheating.

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