There are numerous casino myths and gambling myths that have developed over the years. In this article, we will review some of the most popular casino and online gambling related myths and explain why usually these are false. Despite that these gambling myths lack factual evidence, these still persist and cloud the minds of quite many casino players. To this end throughout this article, we will review some of the most popular casino myths that still persist and try debunk them. It will be a mixture of land based casino myths and online casino myths. We hope that the article will be able to answer questions that you may have regarding gambling myths and maybe help you in your journey.
Casinos are Rigged:
One of the most common casino myths are statements that casinos and in general gambling facilities are rigged. This usually arises when disgruntled players loose quite a bit of money during their gaming experience when gambling. What these statements do not account for is that casinos are business which make sure they are turning into a profit from your gaming experience. The profit in casinos is ensured by the house advantage or otherwise house each which is embedded in each casino game that you gamble. This can be a slot game, table game or any game which in turn has its own house edge. Each casino game has its own guaranteed percentage of return to the casino and in respect a guaranteed percentage loss of players bets. Such percentages assure that house wins in the long run ubt in the short run there are chances for you beat the odds and actually win. There is a chance for you win but there is also a chance that you will loose. Casinos and gambling facilities have their game’s audited for licensing purposes so casino myths such as that the games are rigged, do not really hold any merit.
Casinos pump oxygen to keep you awake:
The myth that a casino and gambling facilities pump oxygen to keep you awake and continue playing has been online for many years. But this has no grounding whatsoever not to mention the legal issues and the cost of such an operation . Pumping loads of oxygen to the casino floor to keep gamblers alert and awake would skyrocket the expenses of a casino though the roof. On top, oxygen acts as a flame accelerant and in the case of fire it can increase the chances of setting the room on fire. Having fire hazards is not in the interest of casinos to have especially since it can also bring about a lot of legal issues to them.
Online Gambling Produces More Underage Gamblers:
There is a myth that developed through concerns raised by numerous groups and organisations that online gambling would produce more underage gamblers. This was especially prevalent when online casino sites were first launched and online gambling made available, in which case concerns about how to control underage gambling were being raised. This is once again another one of the numerous online casino myths that is mainly false. The reason was the ease of signing up and ease of access from any device such as computers, phones at tablets from the comfort of their homes. In land based casinos in contrast, in order to enter and place bets you need to present an ID. This again though is just one gambling myth especially since online casinos have requirements that they need to follow to combat such instances and mechanisms to address them. Online casinos require gamblers to use credit cards and other payment methods to make payments and quite many require ID verification prior to making a deposit in the first place. Though it can happen that a minor would steal a parent’s credit card or even create a fake account in their name, these cases are very rare these dates. Online casinos also have their own KYC and fraud investigation departments which goes through the documentation that clients provide and conduct due diligence on transactions to identify and protect the user and the operator.
Casinos will not pay out your winnings:
Another casino myth or rather a misconception of many gamblers is that casinos will not pay out your winnings. This can be tactics such as delaying your withdrawal by requesting your provide documents to verify your account multiple times. The outcome, would be for you to end up cancelling the withdrawal and wagering the money back. This is usually a myth made against online casinos. Though this can be the case if you are playing at a shady online casino this is not likely to be the case at licensed online casinos. It is not in the interest of licensed casinos and gambling facilities in general to refuse you to make a payout. There can be serious consequences for such practices such as having the license revoked. On top of that, a casino could get bad press which can end up reducing the number of new players registering. As we mention above, such practices can take place at shady casinos that are not licensed but usually it is related to breaches of a casino’s Terms and Conditions. Such breaches include but are not limited to the following:
- Being underage;
- Making payments with another person’s credit Card;
- You have more than one account with the casino (multiple accounts)
- Violation of bonus terms (i.e max bonus bets)
If you are interested in reading more information about actions that casinos can take in case a breach occurs, then we recommend reading Can Online Casinos ban you for Winning ?
The game will freeze if you are winning too much:
A casino game will freeze if there is a software or hardware malfunction but not due to that you have won too much. This is not in the interest of casino anyway, since the house edge on which casinos rely on to make profit works over long run. This does not really make sense for casinos. There is not reason for you to worry about such a casino myth, simply because of that. A game freezing would most likely be due to connection problems or incompatibility of your version of operating system or due to device incompatibility.
Online casinos are illegal;
Yes there are some online casinos that are illegal but most actually put a lot of effort and resources to ensure that they comply with legal regulations. Such online casino myths in majority are actually false. The reason is that an online casino in order to operate needs to own a gaming license which ensures the legality of a casino’s operations. Some of the most popular gaming licenses that online casinos pursue include but are not limited to United Kingdom, Malta and Curacao. Curacao is less tighter than others but online casinos are still legal in their operations. Some can be illegal but most invest a lot of money to be compliant.
There are loose slots and tight slots;
The idea behind the myth that there are loose slots and tight loss comes from the following. When choosing a slot to play, you should seek for slot games that are loose or otherwise hot ones since these are more likely to pay out. To the contrary, tight or cold slots are slots that have already done a fair share of paying out so these are most likely to devour your money will not offer chances to win a payout. This is a myth that has grown over the years from gamblers who have won or lost in short run or long run and to which they have strived to give an explanation. This is of of-course a myth since the outcomes on slots are determined by the random number generator which randomly produces results on a slots reels.
You are more likely to win at a busy casino;
The myth around this statement is that slot machines and/or casino games in general offer more chances for you to win in particular days or times of the day. It suggests that the games can be tweaked to give more money during busy hours. Though such things can be done, it is not in the interest of casinos and gambling facilities in general to take such steps. The simple reason is that manipulating the games can have dire consequences such as hefty fines, having the gaming license revoked and really bad press. It is logical for more winnings to be generated in general during busy hours since there are simply more people playing but it does not mean that “you” will win more money.
My betting system can beat the house edge;
Following a betting system or otherwise strategic betting system is argued that it can lead you beating the house edge of casino. This is not true and no matter what strategy you employ you will not be able to beat the house edge. Lets review a popular strategy that is employed by gamblers to see why this casino myth does not hold its place.
Martingale System:
The martingale system is a popular strategy that gamblers apply to casino games that give you a 50/50 chance of winning such as roulette. The idea is that a gamblers should double their bets after each loss so that when you win it will cover the losses plus you gain a profit that is equal to the original wager. The myth is that an unlucky streak or run cannot continue forever and that luck will be on the gamblers side to recover the losses. But at the end of the day the chances of a game are random and unpredictable so the outcome of the next losses cannot really be predicted. Given that games rely on outcomes that are random it can also mean that a loosing streak continues for eternity as well. On top, when playing online, the tables have a limit on how much you can bet per round and it very much be that you hit the limit before recuperating the losses and make a profit. The way around it would be if you had unlimited money and time which his never actually the case.
Dealers can cheat or influence the outcome;
Another casino myth is that a dealer can cheat or influence the outcome of a casino game. Though this can make some sense, given that dealers deal the cards, spin the wheel on roulette and they might seem to be in control it is not likely to happen Tampering with the game would have severe consequences not only for the casino but also to the groupier on an individual level. The casino – if is aware of it – can see its reputation being affected or be up for an investigation that can lead to fines. On the other hand, the groupier can face legal consequences and be prosecuted. Even if there was a chance that a groupier would cheat in any way or even that a gambler would cheat the casino staff would spot it. Casinos make sure that outcomes cannot be tempered with and left to randomness due to the potential consequences in terms of licenses, audits but also due to that they rely on the house edge to make profits.
Payout rates are literal;
Many gamblers misread the payout percentages of games and conclude that these are literal. For example, when a slot game states that it has a return to player ratio of 96% they take it that they cannot loose more than 4% of their budge. But it simply does not work like that. The return to player ratio refers to the total betting amount that a slot will pay back to players over a certain time. It is the average percentage of wagers a slot game will return to players and it is measured in million of spins. You simply cannot make 20, 50, 100 or 1000 spins and then complain about a casino stating false RTP rates. You can read more about the payout percentages on a previous article called Which slot machines pay the best ? On top of that, tackle against such casino myths as this, online casinos ensure that slots are verified by third party testing companies. These third party testing companies run computer simulations concluding if online casino games are really paying according to their RTP. Moreover, casinos are proud to present this information on their site usually at the bottom of the website which shows that it is in their interest to to have fair games in operation.
Unlikely to win on a slot game that has just won. .
A slot game that has recently won is believed by some having less chances of paying out again. This casino myth is not actually true and you can even win big right after the slot paid out a hefty amount. After all slot games operate with the random number generator which randomly brings about the results on the reels and which can award you win.
You can trick a slot game to payout by increasing betsize;
Some even buy into the casino myth that increasing your betsize would trick a slot game to payout. No, this does not hold truth since casino games operate with a random number generator. The random number generator that operates on the games means that the games will not produce the desired results and if they do it will not be due to the betsize.
Keeping a tab on past results would increase your chances in winning.
Some believe in the casino myth that keeping tabs on past results can somehow increase your chances in winning. The idea is that past results can assist you predict future outcomes and increase your chances in winning. For example, on roulette you see that the ball landed on red 10 times you feel confident that the ball will land again on red. But this is not the case since outcomes are random and it can just by chance happen that the ball just lands 10 times in a row on red. In the same way – due to chance – it can also land on black at any spin of the wheel. To believe that past outcomes can allow you to predict the outcome in gambling is false and this casino myth does not hold merit.
You will Win if you Play Long Enough:
It is possible that a long lasting loosing streak will be followed by a winning streak but it does not make it more probable. The reason is that each casino game of chance is an independent stastistical event. The game does not know what happened on the previous game in a way which would make it more probable to you to win or enter a winning streak. It can happen at anytime in the same way as it can happen that you continue on a loosing streak at anytime.
Gambling Isn’t Really Addictive:
The theory behind the myth that gambling is not addictive is grounded on reasons such as that it does not have a physical effect like alcohol and drugs do. Though gambling does not come with physical symbols such as cancer, heart disease it does come in the form of mental illness. Supporting a casino myth that gambling isn’t really addictive helps no one and it is only backward thinking which can ruin peoples lives.
I have a Feeling that Today is My Lucky Day:
This casino myth is grounded on hoping, wishing and feelings which in general have no influence on the outcome of a game of chance. As mentioned previously games of chance operate with the random number generator which randomly brings about the results. These are all independent statistical events that are also independent of feelings and wishes.
