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I come from a country where casinos are much rarer than they are in the US, and I recently went in my first casino ever after living in the US for 4+ years. So
by GuiA 12y ago
I come from a country where casinos are much rarer than they are in the US, and I recently went in my first casino ever after living in the US for 4+ years.
So I entered this weird place in Montana, with colorful machines everywhere. A more experienced friend instructed me to play a certain machine, in which I put $5 and got 100 virtual "tokens" in exchange. Then the machine asked me to pick 7 random numbers from a 10x10 grid. I touched the 7 numbers, and pressed a flashy "Go" button. The machine "randomly" (of course I have no certainty that it was truly a random process) picked 7 numbers, and only 1 of mine matched. Total gains: 0. I repeated the process several dozen times: select your numbers, press a button, watch the machine make funky sounds as it "randomly" selects number, see if yours match. The best round I got was when 3 of mine matched, and I got back something like 10 credits, going from 47 to 57. 10 minutes later, I was at 0.
It strikes me as a tragedy of our modern society that such contraptions make for a significant portion of state income, and that they are as popular as they are. It is sad that the average American citizen does not have a sufficient grasp of basic probabilities to even consider putting money in such a machine, because it means that the school system essentially fails at preparing kids for the real world. And it is sad that governments are encouraging those temples for theft to prosper the way they do. Because it really is theft - just a kind of theft where the victim is coaxed into it with the help of smoke, mirrors, and free booze (not unlike the phone scams that prey on the elderly and manage to extract thousands of dollars from them). And not only is it institutionalized theft, it is institutionalized classist theft, as the vast majority of the victims are from the lowest socio-economical classes of society.
- dm2 12y agoThere only in a few cities in the US where you can gamble like that, it's illegal in most places. Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Indian reservations, cruise ships, and casino boats are the only places I can think of that allow gambling in the US. I'm not sure if there is a loophole for horse racing tracks or how that works. Video gaming machines might be what you what you saw but they're really not much different than an arcade that spits out tickets. I think those video gaming machines are becoming more rare / illegal. Our brains aren't wired to correctly calculate the fact that we're more likely to lose than win. Same with lottery tickets, people get addicted to those things and don't stop until they run out of money. Even people in Haiti would receive a little money (meant to be used for food and other essentials) and spent it on lottery tickets.
- xxs 12y agoI believe gambling is legal in Michigan[1]. It was done in attempt to bring some money in the state. [1]:http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Laws/Michigan/ http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Laws/Michigan/
- dm2 12y agoLooks like they're making a lot of money from those taxes, hundreds of millions per year. I've never heard of MGM Grand Detriot, interesting, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGM_Grand_Detroit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGM_Grand_Detroit
- TwiztidK 12y agoEven if gambling is completely legal in Michigan, most casinos still seem to be Native American owned/run. Actually, it might even be every casino except the three in downtown Detroit.
- randallsquared 12y agoIt's increasingly legal. In the northeast, you're never far from a casino.
- seanmcdirmid 12y agoI spent four years growing up in Vicksburg Mississippi, no gambling, very religious place (and really no gambling at all in the southeast). A few years after I left...river boat casinos everywhere.
- lfam 12y agoThere are many places in the US that allow gambling off of Indian reservations. There is even a casino near downtown here in Philadelphia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_casinos_in_the_United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_casinos_in_the_United_S...
- dm2 12y ago
- JeffL 12y agoI don't think it's theft. It's people paying for variance/excitement. I don't think anyone really thinks they are going to gain money over time. The interesting thing to me is that probably the same people paying for variance by gambling are also paying to remove variance via car, health, and home insurance.
- Gusfoo_2 12y ago> (of course I have no certainty that it was truly a random process) You do, as it happens. In order to operate, all machines must pass fairness and randomness testing. They are also under a spot-check regime to ensure there are no post-manufacture changes or defects. > It is sad that the average American citizen does not have a sufficient grasp of basic probabilities to even consider putting money in such a machine, because it means that the school system essentially fails at preparing kids for the real world. You're not playing as an investment/to win, you're playing because it's fun. The probability of winning is a factor that affects the 'fun' element. >And it is sad that governments are encouraging those temples for theft to prosper the way they do. Because it really is theft No, it is entertainment. It's not at all theft in any way, shape or form. You may not enjoy it, and that's fine. But other people do enjoy it.
- thisjepisje 12y agoWouldn't it be fairly easy to have a machine operate in "fair mode" during testing, and in "unfair mode" after that? Timers, secret commands and what have you.
- sp332 12y agoYes, but the regulator takes their job seriously and the penalties are quite high.
- MereInterest 12y agoThe entire source code and hardware must be disclosed. If the binary does not completely match the official binary, then the machine is not compliant. It is more than just black box testing.
- seanflyon 12y agoThis isn't something unimportant like voting machines; The inspectors do their due diligence.
- shiven 12y agoNo, it is entertainment. It's not at all theft in any way, shape or form. You may not enjoy it, and that's fine. But other people do enjoy it. Can be said for many other things too. Including things that are outright illegal, heinous and criminal. Slippery slope and all that.