Are Casinos Evil?

Quote: odiousgambit

Once before I really ever stepped into a casino, I believed it was full of people who didnt know the House had an edge. Now I no longer believe that. In fact I believe 99% of the people there know there is a House edge, and 99% of them use the phrase "the House always wins in the end".

Why if the anti-smoking campaigns are any indication, you could put a dire warning as big as one of casino signs in front of the building warning about the house edge and all the perils of gambling. And most people would just walk right in anyway.

Quote: EvenBob

The vast majority of people in a casino have no idea they don't have a chance of hell of getting ahead and staying ahead on multiple visits.

I think this basic premise is wrong.

People know that the casino comes out ahead. But they also know that every day, there are a select few that beat the odds. They gamble to feed the dream.

Of course such a large warning sign would be ignored. So what?
Warnings are overplayed in our lives.
People who choose the immediate pleasures of nicotine versus the probability of deferred health consequences will do so irrespective of warnings.
Are casinos evil?
The DMV is evil, schools are evil, courts are evil... just about anything in our society has some evidence of evil that can be cited.
We often do not assess risks properly but instead respond to imaginary or minor risks.

Is a casino evil? If a casino brings some increase in alcoholism and spousal abuse we do not charge the casino for its treatment. If the rude arrogant clerks at the DMV precipitate some violence we do not charge the DMV with that social cost. If people routine get injured climbing some mountain we do not allocate the rescue and rehabilitation costs to the mountain. So when you come up with a sensible plan for accounting for social evils then and only then can casinos be properly evaluated.

Quote: EvenBob

Lets say you have a next door neighbor who really likes you and invites you to dinner a couple times a week and gives you good liquor to drink and you never have to reciprocate. While you're there eating, their 2 kids are at your house stealing your stuff. They never take enough to be noticable, but after awhile it really adds up. They might replace a nice diamond bracelet with a fake, or take some of the cash you have on the dresser. They steal some CC numbers and sell them. You get the idea. They're in cahoots with their parents, its a scam to act like your friend and ruin you financially. They are evil people.

How is what they do different from what a casino does? The vast majority of people in a casino have no idea they don't have a chance of hell of getting ahead and staying ahead on multiple visits. They're plied with food and booze and flashy lights and a carnival atmosphere and don't know that the dealers mostly hate they're guts and the suits thinks they're bloody fools. The players have no idea that if they did win on a regular basis, they'd be asked to leave eventually. Does it make the casino evil that they take your money, knowing you have no chance of getting the best of them, and you could go bankrupt as a result and the casino could care less?

What are you, like, the Unabomber or something?

If casinos are evil, I need more evil in my life. I love the feeling of entering a casino. I know the odds are against me. They do not hide that. Are fast food restaurants evil? Are gas stations that sell cigarettes evil? Are governments (lottery) evil? I believe in freedom of choice. Those who want to go to a casino, do. Those that don't, don't have to. I can assure you the average Nevadan who has a job due to the casino industry doen't consider them evil. (potential thread hijack- does anyone know how many Americans are employed either directly or indirectly because of the 'gaming' industry?)

morality is relative. Casinos may seem evil to many people. They ARE evil to some people. Others benefit. I like casinos, even though I know they have an edge when I'm not counting. I lose when I'm counting too...

Alcohol is evil on about the same scale. We know it does a LOT of social damage. But I like alcohol too... and someday something bad will happen to me because of alcohol, I'm sure of it. So what? People make choices, the best we can do as a society is protect people from OTHER people's bad choices, not their own.

My answer is no. Same reasons as Mkl has stated.

I hate agreeing with MKL.... But I do completely.

Casino corporations are as greedy as every other corporation you can find. They try to maximize profit. That's the way capitalism works.

Your argument is arguing against capitalism, which is fine. But don't blame casinos when everyone is doing it. You honestly think people don't think the casino has the advantage?

I think slot machines should be more transparent, and give you the house edge like every other game. And I think eventually we will get to that point. Besides that, "evil" is simply the wrong word choice for what you are trying to say.

It's funny, people are both smarter than you think, and dumber than you think. They know the casino has an edge, yet they/we go anyway.

Quote: EvenBob

I've been going to casinos for decades. They contribute nothing to society except the promise of something they know they can't deliver.

So either you're joking with a straight face, or you don't mind being a hypocrite in public.

As jokes go, the "shocked" scene in Casa Blanca was light years better. As to the latter, I find it interesting.

It's funny, people are both smarter than you think, and dumber than you think. They know the casino has an edge, yet they/we go anyway.

I know the restaurant has the edge, but I go anyway.
I know my dentist has the edge, but I go anyway.
I know the movie theater has the edge, but I go anyway.

I make money so I can use it. One of the places I use it is a casino.
As long as they do not lie/cheat, I am content if I lose.
Sometimes I win. That has never happened at a movie/restaurant/ etc...