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.

You are reading from the blog: http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

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Why We Lie and Cheat

A behavioral economist from Duke University by the name of Dan Ariely has written a new book called The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone -- Especially Ourselves.  In researching his book, he did extensive research on when people lie, and the results are fascinating.

First, he found that while a small group of sociopaths will cheat virtually all the time, even most ordinary people will cheat a little, when given the opportunity.  In experiments he ran on approximately 30,000 people, he found that a small number will cheat in big ways, and 18,000 will succumb to smaller deceptions. 

People seem to be very specific about the dishonest acts that they can live with.  For example, someone might steal a Coke out of a refrigerator at work, but not pick up a dollar bill that is left sitting out nearby.  Golfers are less likely to slightly move a ball with their hands than to move it the same distance with the club.

Dan Ariely and his researchers also found that people are more like to cheat when they are tired.  He refers to this as depletion, and he notes that people cheat more in the evening than in the morning.

Cheating and telling lies can also spread within industries and companies.  People seem to actually be affected by the notion that "everyone else is doing it, so I should, too."  This may be what happened when mortgage fraud spread throughout the industry.  According to Ariely, he found that people on Wall Street are more likely to cheat than politicians when both groups were given a math test in which they were asked to self-report their scores.

The researchers who worked with Ariely to study cheaters came to the conclusion that most people are conflicted about cheating.  On one hand, most folks want to see themselves as honest people.  On the other hand, many of us are quite willing to cheat a "little" as a way to get money or "win" in other ways. 

Have you ever cheated in order to win a bet or avoid an expense?  Be honest!  If you are interested in learning more about why people lie and cheat, you may want to pick up a copy of Dan Ariely's book.

You are reading from the blog: http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/