Every few weeks, someone emails me claiming the local casino cheated them. They make claim such as their roulette wheels are rigged, and the casino is using magnetic balls.
I take the claims seriously, and consider all evidence the players have to present. But in every single case so far, I have not seen any convincing evidence of roulette being rigged in a properly licensed casino. Nevertheless, I’ve been around roulette for some time, and know rigged wheels do exist.
This article explains how to tell if the roulette wheels at your local casino are rigged.
The Casino’s License and Regulation
It might seem like an illogical start, but it’s not. First check the casino’s license, and the jurisdiction of their license. This is important because casino licenses require the casino to adhere to strict standards. And there are very harsh penalties if the casino cheats players.
Gambling is big business that needs regulation. Even more regulated than gambling are the financial markets, which are due for an overhaul due to cryptocurrency trader scams. Cryptos are also making their way into online casinos in a big way. But the larger casinos still don’t accept cryptos, because of the poor regulation. Regulations can be both good and bad. But in the case of casinos, it’s a very good thing.
For example, an online casino in the middle of the Pacific ocean may not be subject to strict regulations. At least not as strict as a licensed casino in the UK.
It doesn’t mean casinos outside major jurisdictions are dishonest. After all, there are many reputable and honest casinos licensed in regions such as Malta.
Understand The Type of Ball and Expected Behavior
Online casinos like FruityKing offer a variety of types of roulette, including live roulette with real wheels. This gives you the opportunity to apply roulette physics systems from home.
There are two main types of roulette balls. These are teflon, and ivorine. The differences are shown below.
Usually the Teflon balls are a flat white. And the ivorine balls are pale yellow. The ivorine balls are much bouncier, so it’s best to avoid them.
This means their behavior is much less predictable, and more erratic. Their surface is also harder to touch, therefore makes a kind of ping sound when it hits the rotor. The sound of a Teflon ball falling is much quieter – almost like a thud.
The point is the ivorine ball can have some crazy behavior. It is very elastic, and can bounce a bit like a rubber ball. It can also spin and bounce back in ways that look unnatural. So this kind of ball is the most common I receive complaints about. But if you are seeing this ball first-hand, and have had significant experience with it, you know the behavior is quite normal.
Record and Review Video Footage
I’ve probably seen around 500,000 spins in my lifetime. This encompasses a wide variety of types of wheels and balls. So I’ve seen all kinds of behavior that an inexperienced person would consider abnormal.
When players claim their local casino’s wheels are rigged, I asked them to secretly record a few of the spins they find suspicious. This gives me all I need to determine if the claims have substance.
To record the spin, you only need to download a background recording app for a mobile phone. This allows you to record video, with the phone screen off. Then it’s a matter of holding the phone discreetly in your hand, while standing next to the wheel. But be aware that this is often illegal. Although if you need to record suspicious spins, you might be playing in an illegal underground casino anyway.
Signs of Magnetic Balls
Some types of balls can backtrack and bounce back, as if they were influenced by magnetic field. Again I can easily review video footage, and tell you if the behavior is normal. But if the ball is magnetic, then it will appear to stick to a pocket and slightly rock back and forth. The behavior is quite obvious if you know what to look for.
Don’t Confuse Bad Luck With Cheating Casinos
When I was an inexperienced player, I developed a system that won for around a year. I thought I had beaten roulette. But in reality I was just experiencing short-term wins. Yes, even a year of play is relatively short term, if you’re only betting on a few hundred spins per week. But eventually I started to lose. And instead of blaming my bad system, I assumed the casino was somehow cheating.
Again the reality was my system just sucked. I know that now, but back then I saw it very differently. So I know the mindset of the player when they claim their roulette wheels are rigged. Before you go accusing the casino of cheating, take a good hard look at your system.