Is Blackjack Dead?

... the issuance of complementaries, or comps, but the truth could be a lot worse.

Most casinos have taken a wait and see stance on these products, considering the high cost. There is little doubt in the casino world the systems work well now.  The scary part is what could be integrated in the systems should regulators allow them.

Bally's has been one of the main providers of these systems with its MP21 intelligent table product.  Bally's has been conservative of late marketing the anti-counting measures the system can provide, preferring to talk about “table protection” instead.  Bally's was named in a lawsuit brought by gamblers saying casinos weren't following regulations prohibiting use of a computerized device to affect casino game outcomes.

In the case, the lawsuit argued casinos were ordering dealers to shuffle decks whenever the count was heavily in favor for players.  Players weren't necessarily counting cards, but just by serendipity they were about to face favorable expectation hands so bosses were ordering a shuffle.

Bally's sales staff admit there are more things that could be done to further “table protection” goals. One idea I suggested they said could be done with some programming effort, but by other manufacturers. Bally certainly wouldn't want to admit it and their technology is a little different than competing products. 

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Enter Shuffle Master, which sells a product it calls Intelligent Shoe. This shoe reads every card as it is dealt and  uses the data to give casino managers similar information as Bally's products. Shuffle Master sells the product with a similar pitch, protect the casino, but card counters are also foiled with the right software.

What makes the product scary is Shuffle Master has used RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) patents to create “smart” casino chips.  With a card reader and smart chips, the system can “read” bets and playing decisions, making an accurate guess at what advantage or disadvantage a player plays at once it sees what a player does over 20-30 hands. Of course the vendors say casinos use this to properly comp customers, but imagine what mischief could come in the future.

Future product development could include an RFID chip in each playing card. Instead of using optical readers to read the cards, an RFID system could theoretically determine what the composition of a deck will be before it is dealt. Shuffle Master recently sold the patents for RFID use in casinos to industry giant IGT, the world's largest supplier of gaming equipment. 

The vendors will say they never condone it, but with RFID in the cards a casino manager could track  deck values during shuffles. If he sees the shoe will be highly positive before the cut card, he could order a different cut or shuffle. The casino could easily make blackjack a more profitable game for the house and blackjack as we know it would be ruined. 

Regulators would view this suspiciously, but I wouldn't be stunned if they allowed some of this to go on. Nevada Regulators haven't exactly been player friendly in issues like the one brought up in the lawsuit. 

The bottom line is whatever business 6/5 payouts on blackjack hasn't killed off, technology could take care of the rest. Casinos in their greed don't realize how much business they have lost trying to squeeze extra pennies out of customers. Implementation of these products prove it more than ever. 

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