Saturday, August 28, 2010
"about what the market can bear" (photo: Harrah's)
If you want a little flesh with your blackjack, it’s going to cost you. Casinos in Las Vegas are lowering their payouts at blackjack tables in order to cover the costs of exotic dancers performing in nearby “party pits,” a recent addition to the gambling experience that’s popular with younger card players. Overall, casinos are dropping their payouts by 20%. For instance, instead of providing a 3:2 ratio (a winner gets $3 for each $2 bet), casinos are going with a 6:5 (winning $6 on a $5 bet).
Although experienced gamblers have been shocked by the spreading change, younger players don’t seem to notice. For example, the Hard Rock casino had to invest in a 25-foot stage and three poles for the dancers, but saw players’ losses increase 85% in the first year and 45% in the second.
Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor, told the Las Vegas Sun that he didn’t buy the excuse that the lowered payouts have been instituted to cover the costs of the dancers. “It was something they did because they knew they could get away with it,” he said. “It’s all about what the market will bear.”
-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff
Blackjack Payouts Drop, But Oh, Those Dancers! (by Richard Velotta, Las Vegas Sun)
Blackjack with Poorer Payouts Making Headway in Vegas (by Liz Benston, Las Vegas Sun)
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