Online betting or legal gaming, depending on how you look at it, is one of the most valuable industries in the world. The legal gaming industry has an estimated value of $47.11 billion in 2017, which is expected to rise significantly to $60 billion by the year 2020. And that doesn’t account for illegal betting, which is said to be worth much more. It is very difficult to find a casino which makes losses, as almost all, make huge profits that would be considered abnormal in ordinary legal businesses.

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From a layman’s view, casinos make supernormal profits mainly due to pathological betting by and excessive spending that characterize many people’s gambling lives. As much as there is some truth in that, it does not capture the whole of it. That all casinos cheat is an open secret that all bettors know about. The advance in technology makes it even more so difficult for participants.

Read on to find out more about the twelve casino secrets that you should know.

1. Psychological aspects of casino designs

If you have ever been to several brick-and-mortar casinos, you may have noticed that most (if not all) of them have similar designs and facilities. These facilities, including free drinks, well-dressed attendants, easily accessible ATM’s and luxurious chairs, are meant to make you so comfortable that you won’t keep track of the amounts you spend. What more, most casinos don’t have clocks or windows which, coupled with the aforementioned facilities, will most likely leave you disoriented and unaware of time lapses. Consequently, you will be more likely to spend more than you had budgeted for, all to the casino’s profit.

2. Table games are fair games

Traditional table games like blackjack, baccarat, and craps are easier to win as they have significantly lower house edges compared to games like poker. Another great game to play is http://onlineroulettewheel.co.uk/real-money/ which has higher winning chances.

If you’re in a land casino, it is advisable to play with a dealer as opposed to your fellow gamers. If you are lucky enough, the dealer may take you through the process and give you some tips along the way.

3. Underpaid Dealers

If you ask around, you’ll find out that most casino dealers hardly earn beyond the basic minimum wage. It is reported that the average wage for casino dealers is about $14k per year. Matter of fact, most of the money that dealers take home is made up of tips and stolen chips. So, next time you have a good time with your dealer, make sure to tip them.

4. Undercover Cops

In case you didn’t know, betting is not the only thing that goes on in casinos. Other activities that take place include prostitution, drug trafficking and usage and all sorts of legal and illegal deals. It’s only right that the authorities keep an eye on casinos that may arouse their suspicions. Since it is not legally acceptable to post regular uniformed officers in registered casinos, police departments send undercover cops who act like regular patrons and even play some slots.

5. Secret cameras

Cops are not the only ones with a keen eye on the activities going on in casinos. Casino owners too are always interested in protecting their patrons and identifying troublemakers. They install secret surveillance cameras which you will most likely never see as they’re placed in strategic places and cleverly camouflaged. So, next time you think about pocketing that lone chip at the table, know that someone’s watching.

6. Watch out for suspicious players

Be careful while you’re playing at a table where everyone seems to know everyone, including the dealer, especially if that’s not your local casino. As mentioned earlier, casinos are not below conspiring with crooks and dealers to defraud tourists and new patrons.

7. Party pits

Casinos are increasingly using a new strategy to attract casual gamblers and trick them into spending more money. Party pits, which originated in Las Vegas, are special rooms in casinos that are characterized by loud, funky music, free-flowing drinks, and scantily clad strippers. The thinking behind this is that a number of men will be attracted by the strippers and thereby lose their focus and consequently play more spins.

8. Rigged games

Ever heard of the saying ‘the house always wins’? Well, that’s somewhat true. Unfortunately. You know what else is true? The fact that casinos, in conjunction with game developers, host games, and slots which are rigged to their favor. This is especially common with modern games such as Caribbean Studs, Three-Card Poker and Double Exposure. Ironically, these games are very popular mainly because of their high payouts which go up to 250-to-1. Nonetheless, it will cost you a lot of money, time and effort playing such games before you achieve any reasonable wins. As you will be counting your near constant losses, the casino you’re playing at will be laughing all the way to the bank.

9. Security will ‘tell’

Knowing the caliber of people who visit their establishments, most casino owners take their security guys through specialized training where they’re taught how to identify cheaters. They do this through special checklists called “tells” which are similar to the tactics that cheaters are known to use. Cheating your way to a win is not a good idea after all, is it?

10. Free drinks

Most casinos offer free drinks to patrons presumably to ‘loosen’ them up. These drinks are normally watered down for obvious reasons and are free everywhere in the establishment, from the low paying tables to the high paying ones. How about visiting your local casino for one or two drinks before you hit the club?

11. No fancy payouts

Casinos are known to play around with people’s minds, and it’s not surprising that they put fancy designs and colors on machines with small payouts while the high paying slots have little to no decorations. Remember the saying “all that glitters is not gold”?

12. No pockets for dealers

Seemingly, nobody trusts casino dealers, from players to casino owners. It is a known fact that casinos tailor special uniforms for their dealers who have no pockets to prevent them from hiding chips and anything else. The wristbands on their pants are also kept open. That, plus the secret cameras!

Casinos have secrets and play dirty a lot. It’s not even a secret anymore. What’s important is that you know the different dirty things that most casinos do to avoid being a victim.