Ten Things You Might Not Know About Casinos

Casinos have secrets. Of all the things you might not know about the casino, probably the one with the biggest surprise is the fact that casinos want you to make money. Now we all know that your chance of doing so might appear to be stacked against you, but the casino is a business and so needs repeat customers.

Introduction: Ten Things You Might Not Know About Casinos

So it’s not such a rad idea after all. From building layout to acceptable behavior, and from profit and loss to ID checks, there’s a lot going on in a casino that the general public will have virtually no knowledge of. As with many businesses, unless you have actually worked there, then the difference between what the public sees and what you have seen, can be worlds apart. Let’s have a look at some of the other things that you might not know about the casino. You might surprise yourself.

Casinos have thousands of cameras

From the moment you exit the taxi in the street outside, to you cashing in your winnings at the cashier, you are being watched. In the modern casino, there are many, many more cameras than can be possibly watched. But as they record in digital, they are all watching and saving video data. It means that if they see something interesting, they can then revue the activity from many different angles t get a clearer picture of what’s going down.

Casinos lose money on 25% of their guests

In this respect, casinos are not really any different than any other business. Like a restaurant or other service-based company, there is significant running cost. Probably the largest is the cost of working staff, rental costs for the property and a million other smaller amounts that are all needed to keep the casino running flawlessly. Now, most patrons will lose money. But there is a handful who are responsible for virtually all of the casino’s losses. These often include professional players. But the biggest losses for the casino come in the form of comps, and especially those given out to punters who only just qualify for them by a hair’s breathe.

You can get free stuff!

Do you know one of the first things you should do when going to a new casino? You gotta sign up for their player’s club. This is very important, and yet very few even think of doing it. By becoming a member, you’ll instantly receive complimentary gifts. This can take the form of a free room for the night, free buffet dinner and a myriad of other things. All you have to do is play. Book keeping-wise, the casino likes to hold the comps to under 20% of the gamblers’ losses. But if you’re smart, you can get all the freebies at the end of one day, and then win back the sum of their losses by playing like a boss the next day.

You can’t act like a dick

Casinos are no different than other service establishments that are open to the public. If you behave like a jerk, you’ll get either thrown out or arrested. Because the casino is also marketing it’self as a more sophisticated and up-market place, you’ll need to be on your best manners. Not so long ago, there was a strict dress code. Today, you cant drop the F-bomb whenever you lose. To do so would bring an immediate reprimand from the dealer (who doesn’t want to have to listen to your potty mouth) or the pit boss. Would you behave in the same manner in a restaurant? Just follow the basic life-rule and don’t be a dick.

You can be barred for winning too much

It’s simple. The casino is a business. It needs to show a profit in order to stand still. There are an awful lot of things that need paying for. So, if you appear to be winning too much, then don’t be surprised if the management asks you to leave. They’ll be very quiet and sweet about it, to be sure, as they don’t want to alienate other players. But, keep in mind that the systems in place for game-play at the casino are pre-programmed to give a certain amount back to the player for every dollar he spends. If you go wildly above this percentage, then one the whole, it can only point to cheating on your part. No one beats the house! By the way, online casinos work a different way, the best jackpot slot machines are always controlled by RNG.

You can always call Gaming Control

If you feel that the casino took advantage of you or was somehow cheating or any other underhand behavior took place, then you are free to call the local gaming regulatory agency. All casinos have some form of oversight and all complaints must be thoroughly investigated. If you have a complaint about services within the casino itself, then those should be directed towards the casino manager. Finally, please be nice when you’re complaining. Whatever you’re complaining about wasn’t done to you specifically, but was probably just an oversight or simple mistake. In most, if not all casinos, customer services are nothing short of excellent.

You can’t cash a check, money order, or cashier’s check at many casinos

Here’s an interesting one. Back in the day, it was common practice to pay for your chips with a check. But because casinos are 24-hour businesses, there’s no way they can verify your check half the time. And as a result of this, the public used to take advantage and write checks which would later bounce. So they introduced a simple blanket measure to ensure that they actually get paid.

But you can get a check

If it’s been a good session and you’ve won, then don’t be afraid to ask for a check in order to take your winnings home. Many casinos normally payout with cash, because that’s what many players demand. But if you don’t want to be waltzing around the town with a lot of cash on your person, then get a check written out. You should ask the supervisor before you get cashed out. Table games are often different, but if you don’t ask, then you’ll never know.

You have to produce ID when asked

This is the law. As you’re well aware, gambling is only allowed for those above the age of 18 years old. The casino is private property and so have an absolute say-so on who can, and who cannot be there. They are allowed to ask anyone for their ID at any time. If you can’t produce it, it doesn’t matter if you look 50 years old, you’ll still be obliged to leave. Also, without a proper ID, you will not be able to cash out any winnings.

Casinos are happy if you win

Leaving aside card counters and other forms of “cheating”, the casino is certainly happy if you are winning. The business relies on word of mouth publicity. And there’s no better advertising than from someone who did well and also enjoyed themselves at the same time. The casino wants you to return as it’s business model is built around return players. The dealer will certainly be happy if you’re winning, as he’s due a nice tip.

To learn more about online and traditional casino check out our jackpot winning tips and tricks.