They are launching Ontario’s barrage of licensed on-line casinos in April. The timing is terrible. This push for Internet gaming will happen as Ontario’s casinos are trying to get back on their feet after close to two years of lost revenues. It’s a foolish cash grab by the province to try to pull in more revenue when the job-creating casinos are trying to recover.
But looking at what the casinos are doing to try to compete makes even less sense. They are reducing staff. They think they can compete by replacing staff with electronics. They seem to have lost sight of the what makes casinos attractive. A casino is not just gaming. A good casino is an event. It is entertainment and it is a people thing. Let me explain:
The first time I went to Las Vegas was over 50 years ago. I loved the excitement, the crowds, the friendliness, the sociability of gambling with others, the restaurants, the shows. I lost some money gambling that first time, but I stuck to the one and two-dollar tables that were available then. I also got some good advice from dealers and picked up the books they recommended.
Since then, I have visited casinos around North America and in Europe. My game is blackjack. I also like the fun of American craps and the single-zero roulette of Europe. I have always enjoyed poker but learned early that there are teams lurking at those tables ready to skin the unwary. It is fun leading them on by acting the bumpkin, but you can only pull that ploy once.
My one observation about Ontario casinos is that people in Ontario are likely the worst blackjack players in the world. And they have no idea when to quit. They break the two cardinal rules of casino gambling. First you have to know how much you can afford to lose. And you never play machines that say “ATM.”
Great Canadian Gaming and Gateway Casinos are two of the largest casino management companies and they are both guilty of discouraging the natural friendliness that makes casino gambling a pleasurable time with good food, entertainment, smiling service and easy access to the games of your choice.
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