Gambling is one of those funny things that divide people – you either love it or hate it. But despite the differences, there’s a good amount of facts and figures that neither party would really rather not hear about.
There’s always a little part of us that knows that gambling, although maybe for fun, can lead to a bad habit that we need to work at to keep under control. It’s this feeling that leads us to find information, facts, figures, and stories surrounding the games and the industry as a whole.
Whether you’re partial to the odd casino visit or prefer to stick to the online game, there’s plenty of hard truths to know about the games played, the casinos in charge and the stories that surround – both good and bad.
So, if you’re looking for something to dissuade, some cold truths or some simply great stories, here are 11 things you don’t want to hear about gambling – but can’t stop yourself from finding out:
- The house always wins
First and foremost, it’s nothing new but it should always be drilled in – the house always wins.
There’s a reason that the gambling industry is worth $40bn in the US and it’s not because it acts as a charity and shares the wealth. The house always wins and it wins big, with everything from roulette and slots to craps and blackjack – the odds are never in your favour.
Of course, this is part of the fun – pulling off the impossible – but it’s important to know when enough’s enough. You can spend your gambling money on food, but not your food money on gambling.
- Bonuses aren’t always what you expect
One for exclusively online players – bonuses aren’t always what you expect and online wagering requirements will ruin your day.
When signing up to new online casinos, be wary of the new player offers described. Wagering requirements in the small print are more important than you’d think, they’ll take your deposit and run away with it. Trust us, you don’t want to miss this.
- Slots have the worst odds in any room
It may be your favorite game, but it’s the casino’s too, both online and in-person and for good reason too – it’s got the worse odds of everything else in the room.
With a standard payback percentage of between 75-99%, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that you’re never likely to win. You may get a percentage of what you put in back out, but slots have a funny way of luring you in and before you know it – you’re all out of pennies.
- Men are more likely to develop a gambling problem
Bad news if you’re a male in the gambling scene – you’re more likely to develop a gambling problem than women.
Maybe that’s why we tend to see so many more male poker players than female – just a thought.
- 3-4% of the American population has a gambling problem
Sticking on the theme of gambling problems, it pleases no one to find out that an estimated 3-4% of the American population has a gambling problem.
Do the maths and that’s 6 to 8 million people that struggle with gambling on a daily basis. Granted, there are different levels of severity within the problem – but the problem itself still exists – but there’s not a huge amount that we can do about that right now.
- American roulette is harder to win than European Roulette
Always hit up the roulette table and pick out the American version over the European? You might want to rethink that strategy.
American roulette is actually harder to win than European roulette, granted it’s not by much, but the numbers don’t lie. With the American game having 38 numbers instead of the 37 formed in the original French game, you’ve got a worse chance of winning.
The additional ‘00’ doesn’t change the total that the numbers add up to though…
- The numbers on a roulette wheel add up to 666
Let’s hope you’re not superstitious – that is unless you’ve made a deal with the devil as the numbers of any standard roulette wheel add up to a satanic 666.
Who knows – if the devil’s on your side, you might be in luck.
- The founder of FedEx saved the company by gambling in Vegas
Given up in Vegas but felt like you’ve left with unfinished business? This is one story that you might want to skip over unless you fancy getting antsy.
The founder of FedEx, Frederick Smith, actually saved his floundering company by earning $27,000 in blackjack from the companies last $5000 in 1973. It’s not recommended business advice, but it bought him some time and allowed the company to raise $11 million and earn its first profits in 1976.
Not bad for a short Vegas trip.
- Citizens of Monaco can’t gamble at the Monte Carlo Casino
Bad news for any citizens of Monaco – no I’m not talking about the house prices – but the casino. Citizens of Monaco are forbidden from gambling at the Monte Carlo Casino.
Princess Caroline made it illegal for citizens to gamble in the mid-1800s, meaning the income is strictly from foreigners. Bad news if you’re a gambling fan, good news if you dislike income tax as Monaco uses the casino money instead!
- Las Vegas isn’t the gambling capital of the world
Planning a trip to the gambling capital of the world? You might have to reroute your plane via the city of Macau instead…
The city of Macau is the only Chinese territory where it is legal to gamble inside a casino, so it’s no surprise that it also happens to have the largest gambling city in the world. New stag-do location?
- The Nevada state prison used to have a casino for inmates
Last but not least, one of the weirdest on the list comes from the Nevada state prison which used to have a casino for inmates to play at their leisure.
Not only is this frankly bizarre, but worrying too with reforming criminals quickly picking up gambling habits and addictions. Good work Nevada!
