If you enjoy a little gambling to release your daily stresses or just for some fun, you’re in good company here. But just how much do you know about the casinos that you’re spending your time and money in? Keep reading to learn a few secrets about the house that might surprise you.
The Surveillance Is Heavier Than You Think
It’s natural that a casino would have some really strong surveillance netting the premise. After all, we’re talking about extremely large amounts of money, here. Security needs to be tough to keep a casino from getting robbed blind. But did you know that security is strong enough to map out your movements for almost your entire stay in a casino? With the exception of your hotel room and the interior of a bathroom, casinos have an extensive network of security cameras. If they need to, they can track your every move from the second you walk through the door to the second you leave.
Bright Lights Will Cost You
There are a few areas in a casino that are definite money pits. ‘Carnival games’ for example, are table games excluding traditional ones like baccarat, craps, and blackjack. These games are designed to give the house an even higher advantage than usual. Games like this are generally dressed up in an eye-catching way in the hopes that the bright lights and flashing advertisements will entice you into spending a few of your chips over there. The more flashy and vibrant a game looks, the worse the odds tend to be. Keep that in mind while you’re taking a look through those bright slot machines.
House Advantage Can Be Reduced
That’s right the notorious house advantage can actually be reduced if you know how to play smartly. Pick games that already have a low house edge. Study up to make sure you know the rules of the game and can play any advantage that you end up with. The more you know going into any particular game, the more you’ll be able to avoid making sloppy mistakes or unwise moves.
Unruly Patrons Can Be Restrained
This specifically applies to the casinos that are located on Native American reservations. While security staff at other casinos generally aren’t allowed to detain, search, or even touch unruly patrons, this law does not apply to reservations, which are located on the land of a free and sovereign nation. Reservation casinos have their own security or sometimes even police forces that are dedicated to ensuring that any unruly or potentially violent patron is subdued as quickly and efficiently as possible. In some cases, this could mean being physically restrained. In others, it’s even possible for a patron to be the target of mace or a taser.
Security Will Know If You Cheat
The people who are monitoring the video surveillance feed of a casino know every classic sign of cheating. Whether you’re looking around too much while playing the slots or sitting a little too close to someone else at the blackjack table, security has a sign of red flags that they’re constantly on the lookout for. Even people who avoid making these mistakes can still potentially give away tells in the form of behavior. Glancing around too much, fidgeting, or other nervous ticks can easily be picked up by a security guard or a dealer with a well-trained eye.
Casino Designs Are Entirely Intentional
When you spend time in NJ casinos, everything that you’re looking at from the placement of the tables to the advertisement to the décor was thought about very extensively and carefully before it was put into place. Casinos are a lucrative business, and the house will always do its best to appeal to its customers in any way it can. The lack of windows and clocks to elongate one’s sense of time is the most common example, but it extends beyond that. They make the games with the worst chances the brightest. They put plenty of tables in between you and the money cages to encourage you to spend more first. If you find yourself spending a little extra, chances are it’s because a subtle design decision has influenced you.
Gambling can certainly be a fun and entertaining pastime. Just keep these things in mind as you’re spending your money. It may help you keep a few more bills in your pocket.
