Live Casinos?

Question

Lately a number of online casinos have started using videostreaming to have live games. What do you guys think about it? Is it better to be able to see the dealers spinning the wheels and deal the cards?

Answer 1

It sounds reasonable so long as you have access to the video that shows all of the cards present prior to shuffling, and the cards never leave sight of the cameras.

I think it would add a bit of trust to the game if it were done in that fassion.

Bill, you cant be a professional slot machine player, it doesnt work that way,  if you played slots for 6 years that makes you a casino junkie.

Real professionals make money not lose it

Answer 2

I am a professional gambler who lives in Las Vegas.  I was  a professional slot machine player for over 6 years and am writing a book called "Cherry Pie" about my experiences.  One chapter in my book is about cheating by casinos, online and otherwise.

Live (or otherwise) online gaming is illegal in the US, so you are probably talking about a gambling site like dublinbet.com, which offers live video feeds from the Fitzwilliam Card Club in Dublin, Ireland.  The answer is yes, in general, video feeds offer much more confidence in the fairness of the game, for good reason!  First, land based casinos are regulated by a gaming commission whose job is to verify the fairness of every game.  Second, the history of gambling is fraught with cheating by the house, and there is even more opportunity for the house to cheat with online gaming.  My chapter on cheating by casinos is interesting.  Also, my philosophy in gambling is that if it can be rigged, assume it is.

One of the most prominent online gambling websites(Starluck Casino, which eventually evolved into Partygaming and Partypoker) was "caught" offering an unfair roullette and craps game.  This was identified and confirmed through online gambling consultant "The Wizard of Odds", Michael Shackleford, who was a business associate of my friend.  Starluck's explanation was that it was due to a programming error, but the promotion they offered could've been so lucrative for the players that it didn't seem likely they intended on offering a fair game, and they never gave back any money.  

The identity of most gambling website owners is kept secret.  I knew a programmer for one of the first poker websites, and the two characters running it were genuine mobsters in Costa Rica, who ran heroine etc.(it's in the book...interesting story).

Land based casinos are regulated by a gaming commission, but even this doesn't stop them from sometimes cheating.  The gaming commission does however eliminate almost all cheating that the casinos might attempt, if not for any other reason than the fear of getting shut down usually outweighs the benefit from cheating.

Of course, remember that your expected outcome is still negative when you gamble!

-William (Bill) Heimiller

Answer 3

I assume the questioner is asking about like the Playtech group, that steams a lady dealing cards for BJ and Baccarat, and a table for a video roulette feed. While it does give the impression that it's more fair, it's all on trust, and if you trust them to play without it, having it isnt going to move me off that at all.

Answer 4

Well Bill sounds like every "Profesional" gambler I've ever heard, don't know to much about land based casinos I think.