Card counting in black jack is not illegal, and you will not be prosecuted for it or have your winnings withheld (unless you're using a device to help). As long

Card counting in black jack is not illegal, and you will not be prosecuted for it or have your winnings withheld (unless you're using a device to help). As long as you and the casino are playing the same game, you are not violating any law (at least in casinos on US territory, e.g. Vegas/Atlantic City, some quick googling suggests that some Native American casinos take a bit more liberty with this and not pay you your winnings). If a casino catches or even suspects you're card counting, they are well within their rights to refuse to let you play that game anymore. If, on the other hand, you and the casino are playing different games, e.g. the dealer is playing black jack, but the player is playing I-know-what-the-dealer's-down-card-is-because-of-manufacturing-imperfections-in-the-card, then is it really that unreasonable for the casino to have a case that they don't owe you the money that you won, especially if they can demonstrate intent? (I'd argue that they should give you a bug bounty, but that's a different story) To address your poker example - say I'm your guest in your hypothetical and, were we playing fair poker, your 1 in 100 odds were correct. Let's also say that I have undetectable X-ray vision contact lenses, thus changing the odds such that I will always win - would you really consider it unreasonable to use the government to get your money back in that situation? The agreement was to play poker, a game which necessarily presumes hidden information from all players. If one player has all the information, the game isn't poker anymore, it's robbery/con. I agree that the computerized games are a different story, though I believe that consumers have some protection in the form of the various gaming commissions. If you win a jackpot and are denied the payout, contact the gaming commission! The laws are very strict on the points of fairness of those machines, forged in the fires of decades of mafia controlled casinos (at least in Vegas/Atlantic City). Gambling is a drug. It has all the health benefits of a recreational drug, but at least in (most of) the US, it's not a scam.