Casinos really only have Blackjack tables because patrons want them, or else they would probably get rid of them pretty quickly.
True, but ... isn't that the case with every game in the casino?
Once upon a time, actually, blackjack wasn't terribly popular; craps was the king of casino games. But after Thorp demonstrated it was beatable there was a surge in demand for blackjack. Turns out, nearly all those new blackjack players weren't really very good at counting and lost money hand over fist. Thorp's work (among others) led to increased casino profits and lent an air of legitimacy to gambling; it wasn't just luck anymore, if you "worked" at it you could profit. [Citation needed].