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I don't see how this makes sense. The casino's odds are always not in favor of the players, so the more the merrier from the casino's POV. Even if you're a card counting wiz, the margins are pretty poor and you're easily caught.

I imagine the real problem would be crowding your casino with people who just showed up for the buffet but refused to gamble.

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I think your latter assertion is the point - the statisticians refused to gamble and many of the hotels' services are provided at a loss to help bring in gamblers.

Many businesses are run this way - restaurants make a loss on food to make their margins on drinks... I wouldn't be surprised if casinos make a reduced profit (or even a loss) on alcohol so as to make a profit on the gambling.

alcohol in casinos is FREE lol. So yeah, you bet they take a hit on the booze and compensate with gambling.

yes, the point was not that the stats people out-smarted the house, but rather that they were smart enough to not even begin gambling.

Casinos will comp you a room, meals, drinks if you gamble just the right amount, and it's sometimes possible to get +EV once you factor the "value" of these things into account. No card counting required.

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