If you’re a recreational player, you probably don’t care too much about the changes that Las Vegas roulette games have undergone recently. That’s fair. You visit Sin City for the fun and the distractions… not to be worrying about the odds of winning money.
However, some folks on a budget may want to reconsider that attitude. I mean, if you plan a vacation to Nevada and save up to do some gambling, why not get the most value for your hard earned cash? But here’s a news flash for you: the casinos don’t really care about changing the odds in their favor unless people complain. And so far, that’s not happening.
A few weeks ago we reported how the odds have been changing in Las Vegas for many casino games, including roulette. The most obvious change has been the addition of the Triple Zero space to many games. That’s in addition to the Single Zero and Double Zero spots. That little adjustment already added a big advantage to the house edge.
So now, Las Vegas roulette is raising minimum bets while also eliminating the $1 chips. Just one more way to get more skin in the game. So in order to be fair, you should understand that roulette chips lack any value. That is, it’s up to the player to assign a value to their chips. Then those chips must be exchanged for regular casino chips in order to cash out at the cage.
If you’re a player and head to a table thinking you can have $1 chips, you may be in for a surprise when you’re told that’s no longer an option. MGM has been testing the elimination of $1 chips for a while now. Players seem to think this started at Mandalay Bay, but has since spread to New York New York and Park MGM.
One thing is certain: Casinos tend to follow what works. And since MGM has seen little to no push-back on this change, you can best bet (pun intended) that other resorts will follow this change to Las Vegas roulette. Anyone remember when gambling was just simple fun?