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all-electronic casino?

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by sukiran, Aug 4, 2012.

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  1. sukiran

    sukiran Low-Roller

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    A couple years ago I saw them put up a pre-fab apartment house in New Rochelle, NY. Each unit might have been the size of a double-wide, completely self contained. Seemed simple, at least from the sidealk across the street. About the same time I was at the Caesars pool, watching them put up the new Octavius(?) tower. Not exactly pre-fab but a melding of huge slabs of material. Toward the point. Some of the replies to my recent/current thread about e-craps, got me thinking Steve Wynnish. Seems like a lot of semi-serious craps players (and lots of slots players) would at least nibble at the e-version. Meanwhile, there are a growing number of attractive e-blackjack installations on the casino floors. If the odds on the e-versions were at least same as the tables, wouldn't there be a stampede? And wouldn't they be more profitable? After paying off the politicians, gaming appointees, union officials, etc., would there still be serious barriers to entry for a string of nicely appointed cocktail lounge/casinos with no dealers? Leaving a reduced number of Desert-Inn-style places for the grownups. I could go on, but the martinis I had for brunch are really kicking in.
     
  2. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    If they had the same, or even better, odds there would still be quite a few players who would refuse to play an electronic version of a table game.

    As for if the idea can work: I think if your only reference to casinos is along the lines of Las Vegas the idea of an all electronic casino probably seems pretty far fetched... but they already do exist. There are already some jurisdictions that allow electronic games in a casino but no table or dealer based games and in those cases games like "Shoot To Win Craps" or "Roulette Revolution" or one of the electronic blackjack games usually are allowed (we have that locally where at least one of our local casinos isn't allowed traditional table games so they have the electronic versions instead)
     
  3. crussader

    crussader Low-Roller

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    The Excalibur poker room tried all electronic tables a few years ago. They were widely hated (i.e. - I could have stayed home if I wanted to play poker on a computer). It killed the action in the room. The live dealers are back now, but the room is still trying to recover from that fiasco.
     
  4. BrendanMc

    BrendanMc Tourist

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    The only electronic machine I'll play is VP. One of the biggest draws to games like craps is the comaradarie and teamwork you feel with fellow players. That is something that would be sorely missed to me, and I would get bored quickly.
     
  5. Big Tip

    Big Tip VIP Whale

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    I have had lots of autotron dealers at real blackjack tables. I would prefer a pleasant virtual one to some of those.
    I have been playing the electronic blackjack game at Monte Carlo. It has the best rules in the house, I can play at $5 if I want, and it accrues points on my card. I don't have to tip the dealer, and the drinks come just as fast. There is a certain amount of group think too at times. Just like at a real table. And I think one of those virtual dealers has a thing for me!
     
  6. numeno

    numeno VIP Whale

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    I'm pretty confident I would be able to cut my bankroll in half or even down to 33% of what it is, if they removed all hand dealt table games. If I want to bet $25/hand on BJ on a machine, I might as well do it on the internet and save the airfare. It just doesn't interest me at all.

    I'm not sure if it would be profitable for them or not. I would be interested in numbers though on how much a $5 eBJ table makes compared to a normal $10 or $15 table minus the expenses.



    I do have a feeling that if the strip went to all emachines except for high rollers, I could still head downtown and get real dealers. There will be a market for it, I just don't know how much.
     
  7. woodsie

    woodsie VIP Whale

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    If and when that nonsense catches on, I'll retire from gambling and take up a different hobby. I see no thrill in automated table games.

    If I wanted to sit isolation and smack buttons like a trained chimp I'd stay home and save on airfare and hotel.

    Frankly, I'm hoping that real gambling with cards, dice, felt, chips and people makes a comeback. The live gambling industry is making a HUGE mistake training their customers to like electronic gaming. They'll regret it when online gaming gets more legal and accessible and people realize they don't need to go out to gamble the way they've grown accustomed to.
     
  8. woodsie

    woodsie VIP Whale

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    On your last point, I think Las Vegas would shrivel up and die if table gaming went all emachines due to bean counter short sightedness. These days you can literally gamble in almost every state and even in your own home from a computer. People go to Vegas because they've bought into the "idea" of Vegas. That idea is built on years of popular culture and Vegas lore of which live table games are very much an integral part.

    I think it's true that there will still be a market for it somewhere like Downtown for awhile in this event but Vegas is very much one of those places where critical mass matters and popularity is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

    It's hard to put it into words exactly but I can use the example of card counters at Blackjack. Their very existence is actually FANTASTIC marketing for Vegas and casinos. The very idea that the casino can be beat is part of the allure that draws in hundreds of thousands of people to Vegas who in reality have not the skill nor the attention span to beat the casino statistically but will still spend their money chasing the dream. If electronic Blackjack takes over the idea of beating the casino will eventually fade away from popular legend and no longer be a component of the the draw.

    Hell, just look at movies like Oceans 13 and "21" and how much of that "beat the Casino" lore is reflected in them.

    The "beat the Casino" lore is only one tiny part of my argument here for the sake of making an example. The sexiness of casino chips, the social aspect of live games, attributing good luck to a dice throwing with good hands...those are all part of the hundreds of nuances that give live gambling and Vegas in general a unique appeal.
     
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