Blackjack Card Counting
In today’s blog we’ll be discussing whether casinos can ban card counters. US gambling law is notoriously slippery in this area, as while casinos are classed as clubs and therefore have the right to refuse entry to anyone, outside of Las Vegas, government legislation doesn’t protect casinos from advantage players. In recent years, card counters such as Ken Uston have taken casinos to court over their treatment of advantage players, with a New Jersey court ruling that casinos don’t have the right to ban card counters simply because of their mathematic ability. In today’s blog, we’ll examine a recent card counting court case and discuss some of they key blackjack issues of this year.
The Grand Victoria Casino and Resort in Rising Sun and a coalition of 11 other casinos, represented by the Casino Association of Indiana, are pressing the Indiana Supreme Court to overturn a recent card counting ruling. Back in 2006, Thomas Donovan was banned from the Grand Victoria after dealers found that he was card counting. Donovan was banned from the casino and after a series of court battles, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that as legislation is not in place regarding card counting, the Grand Victoria had no right to bar Donovan.
Since then, the Casino Association of Indiana and the Grand Victoria have suggested to the court that players such as Donovan are bad for business and they should have the right to bar them. However, as legislation is still not in place, card counters have a right to play at Indiana casinos. The Casino Association of Indiana are hoping the court overturns the Indiana Court of Appeals ruling and bans Donovan, else they’ll be forced to change the rules of their blackjack games, thus slowing down table play and unwittingly deterring other players.
Card counting has been a hot topic in the news this year, with Kris Zutis and Dr. Jesse Hoey of the University of Dundee announcing that they’ve created a new way of electronically catching advantage players. If you’d like to find out more about Zutis’ blackjack card counting detection method, make sure to read our interview with Zutis and Hoey. You can also find an interview with Victor H. Royer, author of several gambling books and a card counter, by checking out our casino experts interviews.
