You and a friend went to a local casino hoping to have a good night. You’ve practiced for months, and you’ve gotten very good at counting cards. It has taken hard work, but you expect that you’ll come out as a winner tonight.
After spending some time at the tables, you were right. You won much more than you lost, all thanks to the simple techniques you spent time learning. Unfortunately, your large winnings caught the eye of the casino’s security team, and you were soon being asked for your information and accused of cheating. Within a few minutes, you ended up in handcuffs and were being escorted from the building.
Is counting cards really illegal?
The important thing to realize is that counting cards isn’t generally illegal. In most casinos, it’s frowned upon only because it costs the house money when a player is good enough to use this technique. Counting cards isn’t illegal under state, federal or local laws, as long as you’re not using someone else to count cards with you or using an external source to somehow manipulate your odds of winning.
Many casinos use countermeasures to make it hard to count cards, such as using multiple decks of cards or shuffling throughout the game. They may also ask you to stop playing or to leave the building. However, if you are banned and return, then you could be accused of trespassing and face repercussions in that situation instead.
Bear in mind, if you’re accused of doing more than counting cards to rig the odds in your favor, you may be facing actual criminal charges – and the consequences can be serious. If you are accused of cheating at a casino, get an experienced defense attorney on your side.