Casino Fined For Making Error--In The Players' Favor!

While this story is mainly about a casino being fined for allowing a 14 year old to gamble, the last line of the story is far more interesting to me. The Tropicana in AC was fined $10 grand for leaving the 10's in the deck at a Spanish 21 game. I am certainly more libertarian than most on this board, and would argue against almost all of the fines levied against casinos. But I can't imagine anyone thinking that the state should receive $10k from a casino when they made an error like this, that is a net BENEFIT TO THE PLAYER! To me it seems as wrong as fining a casino because a dealer was paying 3:2 on a blackjack switch game. Anyone disagree with me?

Like casinos are looking after their own, so is the state. It's a food chain, players->casinos->gov't. These fines are levied for revenue, not deterrence.

Quote: P90

Like casinos are looking after their own, so is the state. It's a food chain, players->casinos->gov't. These fines are levied for revenue, not deterrence.

Right. But the question is whether or not it is acceptable.

Quote: bigfoot66

Right. But the question is whether or not it is acceptable.

It's hard to come up with a moral frame of reference for this one. The government is playing both sides of the coin really...if the casino makes an error that harms the players, the fuzz fines them because they're "looking out for the players." If the casino makes an error that *helps* the players, the fuzz fines them because they just lost tax revenue on the casino's potential winnings for that game. I'm not sure whether they "should" be fined or not (haven't voted yet).

I also saw that story and was rather flabbergasted. I really would love to know some details. How long did that situation exist? Who realized it after seeing the first 10 card, the dealer/pit or a player? I don't even know basic Spanish strategy, so I'm not sure if I could take advantage of it, but if a smart player saw that 10 come out and no one else said anything, he could make a killing I'm sure.

Quote: AcesAndEights

...if the casino makes an error that harms the players, the fuzz fines them because they're "looking out for the players." If the casino makes an error that *helps* the players, the fuzz fines them because they just lost tax revenue on the casino's potential winnings for that game.

Establishments (not just casinos) are also fined if they make an error that neither harms nor helps the players, so it's not that.
Remember the Baccarat Dance.
Many fines are just a form of revenue collection.

Quote: P90

Remember the Baccarat Dance.

To quote Prince Humperdink, "I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase..."
But on the overall point, yes you are completely correct. Any excuse to take make a few more bucks.

Quote: AcesAndEights

To quote Prince Humperdink, "I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase..."

It's amazing how often a long playing session feels like a fight to the pain...

But on the point, it's both an excuse to make a few more bucks and an incentive for the casino to more closely regulate their process. At least, I assume that the State would say that the penalties are aimed at process standardization and not solely revenue generation.

I think the Trop SHOULD be fined.

Sure, leaving in the 10's makes it an advantage for the player, but it also makes it a disadvantage for the unlucky player who choses to play Spanish 21 at a different table, as well as a disadvantage to other casinos when players who know about the error begin to frequent the Trop hoping to discover other errors.

To take a position that doesn't just assume that the government is out to get all it can (and issues fines just to collect money), I pose that the fines are imposed for a perceived lack of game control by the casinos. If they aren't paying enough attention to their games to keep the tens out of the deck in that game, what all other issues might they be overlooking? I suspect the fine is just a reminder to pay attention and have good controls in place for everything, without regard for whether an error benefited the house or the player. Now if something was done improperly that benefited the house and the government believed it was done intentionally rather than by accident, I suspect the fine would be much stiffer.

What is the player's advantage in Spanish 21 with 10s in the deck?