It is important to note that since casinos are private businesses on private property, they can ban anyone for almost any reason.
However, getting banned from a casino just because you are getting too ‘lucky’ is out of question. Reason? The casinos undoubtedly have a much bigger bankroll than you. This means that they can afford to wait until they catch up with you. The statement ‘the house always wins’ gets a much deeper sense when you relate it to this.
But what if you used a method that actually gave you an advantage over the house? Supposing you decided to up your skills with, perhaps, shuffle tracking, hole card peeking, and card counting, dice setting in craps, among other strategies?
If you’re still losing, the casino will hardly pay any attention to you at all. On the other hand, if your strategies are keeping you on a win streak, which they will notice because they are always on the lookout, they are bound to take some measures against you.
These measures could include anything from backing you off to a specific game type and tightening up their procedures to eliminate your advantage, among others. They are unlikely to ban you for winning unless you are upsetting other players in some way.
Is Card Counting Considered Legal in Casinos?
Card counting is a common strategy where the player assigns value to each card played so far. There’s absolutely nothing illegal about keeping tabs of what is being played, and if practiced smartly, it should help you overcome odds favoring the house.
But since the casinos are private businesses that choose their customers, there are occasions where they might ban you because of card counting. This does not often happen right away as they have measures they take against card counters when they are beating their house edge.
Once they notice you card counting, most casinos will simply ask you to try your luck at another game. Although you might see this as unfair, the casinos have this much power and they can tell you to move to another game just because ‘you are too good’ for that specific one. They can even deny you from playing for no reason at all. But if they tell you to move, better oblige as doing otherwise would be giving them a ticket to ban you.
There are, however, a few exceptions such as Atlantic City where courts ruled that card counters not be banned from casinos. In such cases, it would not be a surprise if they tried to restrict you to very low wagers and anemic bet spread. This would render counting cards a complete waste of time as your expected returns would be below the ‘minimum wage’.
It is important to note that it is not uncommon for casinos to resort to making excuses to escort you out, sometimes rather obscure ones when they catch you counting cards in blackjack exceptionally well.
Reasons Why a Casino can Ban You
Regardless of who you are, there are some actions or reasons that can have a casino kick you out, or ban you altogether.
Such reasons include;
Cheating in a Casino
In 21st century, it would be considered utterly foolish if you walked into a casino with the intention of cheating. With the highly sophisticated surveillance technology, it is impossible to try and swindle off a casino as they have eyes on you from every angle.
Their monitors are not only manned 24/7, but also do their AI software pick and recognize patterns of a somewhat dodgy player.
Before trying to swap out chips, slip a card into your hand, or try any other trick, make sure you are well prepared for the repercussions.
Not Observing Casino Etiquette
Since you will be interacting with more than one person, there are casino etiquettes which are meant to be observed to keep the place in order. Getting excessively drunk, taking pictures, loitering around a casino, and being rude to casino staff and other guests are some acts that might get you kicked out of the casino.
Observing the set casino etiquette will go a long way in making your stay there worthwhile.
Suspicious Gambling Patterns
There are some times that you may rouse suspicion even if you are not strictly cheating. And if a casino finds your actions repetitively suspicious, that might be a direct ticket to being thrown out or an imminent ban.
Can an Online Casino Ban You?
Casino bans are not restricted to land-based ones. There are a couple of violations that may lead to a player being banned from playing in an online casino. They include:
Underage Gambling
The legal age of gambling in casinos is 16-21 years depending on the geographical location. However, some players assume that they can simply bypass that since it is an online casino.
While it might be difficult for a casino to accurately verify age of a new player, catching you will lead to instant banning from their site. So, if you are an underage trying your way into an online casino, better wait till until you’re of legal age before you try your luck.
Opening Multiple Accounts on One Site
Opening multiple accounts on one site and using the same verification documents is enough reason for a casino to ban you. Most online casinos have a policy of one account per person.
If you have to open more than one account, do so on different sites. After all, there’s more than a dozen legit casinos online.
Abusing Welcome Bonuses
It is not a surprise to see most online casinos offering rather attractive welcome bonuses to its new players. However, you still find some players trying to come up with some sketchy ways to benefit more from such bonuses, which might see to some violations of the set conditions.
Most online casinos have sophisticated software which flags you instantly in case of such an attempt. Whereas they might not always ban you for this, any winnings as a result of violating bonuses terms are not paid out.
Conclusion
Casinos can be explained as ‘completely sovereign’ from their way of acting as they please. They are business enterprises and seeing that they are always private, they are more than willing to do anything to safeguard their losses, even if it means kicking you out of the premises.
It is, therefore, advisable to adhere to their set regulations and take caution against being overly smart with them.
