Casinos are a huge source of interesting myths, legends, and stories that seem too good to be true. There are stories about huge luck ($25 million), dubious capital (atomic bomb parties), and lousy personal hygiene (adult diapers to keep the game going).
Some of the most interesting facts about casinos and gambling come from societies where it is forbidden, proving that it is hard to keep people from winning temptingly big money.
Gamblers in Japan are forced to use a huge legal loophole to remedy the situation, while one of the world’s most famous casinos in Monaco bans locals from playing at all. In contrast, in Zodiac Casino, you will not face such difficulties.
Here are some of the craziest facts you probably don’t know about the wild world of casinos and gambling.
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You can voluntarily ban yourself from the casino
If your gambling addiction gets out of control, several states allow you to ban yourself from casinos. This means that from now on, stepping on the game floor is considered a crime.
For instance, Ohio has a so-called Voluntary Exclusion program for gamblers who want to use a habit that allows them to ban themselves for a year, five years, or for life. If you choose a lifetime ban, you understand this better: there is no way to cross your name off the list after you have made your exclusion from the life of the casino forever.
Some gamblers relieve themselves right at the gaming place
Some gamblers take gambling too close to heart, and their fanaticism leads to strange things. Addiction professionals report that some players are so addicted that they may urinate under themselves or wear adult diapers to keep from being distracted from the game.
For instance, in Indiana in 2007, a player filed a complaint with the state gambling commission after he sat in a chair near a slot machine that someone had previously peed into. And in 2015, in New Jersey, a man peed in the coin slot of a slot machine.
Fruit gum saved slot machines
Have you ever wondered why fruit pictures are used in slot machines? That’s because in the early 1880s when gambling was banned, slot machine owners made chewing gum their winnings.
It was also forbidden to use the image of suits, so they were replaced by fruity gum flavors. When the ban was lifted, the owners of the slot machines did not change anything. Just fruit pictures remained, and instead of chewing gum, machines began to issue money.
Card counting is allowed but does not save you from being kicked out of the game
Card counting is a perfectly permitted blackjack strategy that involves keeping track of which cards have been dealt and which remain in the deck during play. It’s actually pretty simple arithmetic.
However, that didn’t stop casinos around the world, especially if the player was less subtle in their approach (for instance, actor Ben Affleck was banned from casinos in 2014 for his cunning). In addition to players leaving or playing another game, casinos also fight card counting by changing the rules a little or shuffling the deck more often.