Casinos on the lookout for card-counting iPhones

Posted Feb 17th 2009 2:10PM by Beth Gaston Moon
Filed under: Bad News, Apple Inc (AAPL), Scandals, iPhone

There are some people walking around Las Vegas and other gaming meccas with something illegal on their iPhones, and I don't mean the new Taylor Swift album pirated off the Internet. A new application, available for Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone and iTouch, works to count cards when its user is playing blackjack.

Obviously, this practice is frowned upon by casino officials (even when a mathematical savant is able to count cards mentally). Using an electronic device to help has been deemed even closer to "illegal," and Vegas pit bosses are said to be on the lookout. This sort of unscrupulous behavior is the last thing the gaming industry needs these days, amid reduced tourism and shrinking profits.

Reportedly, this new scam came to light at an Indian casino in California; iPhone users were apparently a little too successful and their efforts were reported to officials in neighboring Nevada.

This story raises two questions. First of all, the odds of getting away with such a scheme are slim to none, considering the aversion casinos already have to cellular phones. Second of all, who is downloading said application? Folks that actually intend on risking broken kneecaps in an effort to bring down the house? Or those who just want to abscond with their buddies' money at Friday's card game? The entire concept seems suspect to me.

Even Apple's own site is a tad apologetic, noting "By popular request, we've added a card counter. While card counting is not illegal, it may get you thrown out of a real casino."

Could this little program have contributed to the demise of Trump Resorts (NASDAQ: TRMP)? See my colleague Peter Cohan's thoughts on the matter.

Beth Gaston Moon works for WeSeed.com. The above comments are not intended as trading or investment advice.

Tags: aapl, apple, blackjack, counting cards, CountingCards, gambling, iphone, las vegas, LasVegas