What separates California casinos from Vegas Casinos

What separates California casinos from Vegas casinos is just one thing... using dice or a ball drop (roulette) from reaching a decision in a game.

This is why roulette wheels in California have hidden cards in compartments and after the "wheel" spins and settles, one card and its number are revealed. And this is why cards are used to simulate the roll of two dice. But at some casinos dice are thrown which are used to choose cards -- a way to get around the law.

The law dates back to the gold rush days of the mid 1800s to protect miners from themselves -- to stop casino gambling. But card games were allowed and so today card games and variations of games such as roulette and craps can operate.

Isn't it time to change the law and allow the California Casinos to enter the 21st century with dice and reel roulette wheels?

This by the way would not be legislation that would only favor Indian Casinos, because there are California card rooms that also offer games such as card craps. Hollywood Park has card craps now, The Bicycle and others have tried it.

If casinos can simulate these games of chance -- roulette and craps -- with computers and with playing cards, why not allow the true games to be offered which are available only a few hours away in Nevada?

It's hypocritical I think to allow card versions of roulette and craps, but not a wheel and ball version of roulette and a dice version of craps. The card games protect no one, if the "protection theme" is still being thrown around.

And these days it's all about gaming revenue and tax revenue. California voters just approved another sales tax increase that starts January first. That's okay, but allowing dice and a true wheel and ball aren't?

Frankly, I think the only opponents to having real dice craps and real roulette in California would be the Nevada casinos. They were reportedly behind the last initiative effort to change the State Constitution to allow dice craps and true roulette. Well, if the Nevada casinos are so worried about competition from California why don't they offer better pay tables on their video poker and better comps instead of cutting them as they have over the past several years?

I don't think that managing competition by controlling legislation is a sign of a fair and open market.

About five years ago, California voters rejected a ballot initiative to expand casino gaming. But would an initiative just to allow throwing dice in craps and to have a real roulette wheel (Vegas style for both) pass? This would not be an expansion of casino gaming in California -- but it would just be a change of rules for the games already being played in the state. What do you think?

It is an amazing political process to watch when it comes to gambling. In Illinois, after years of fighting, we finally had riverboats. The riverboats had to actually sail, so you had to get there at a certain time to board or you would sit there for 90 minutes waiting for the boat to return. Many a night we were going 120 MPH down the toll road to get to a boat in a godforsaken town like Joliet to make the boarding time. Then, on a busy night, they would sweep the boat and kick everyone out for the next cruise. We had to hide in the john til they sailed again so we wouldn't get kicked off. Other states, like Iowa, started with $200 limits--total--per outing. Eventually, and it took 20 years here, we no longer had to sail. Somehow, politically, they get to a point where a little gambling is ok and it gets legalized. Then year after year they somehow expand it until it is like a real Vegas casino. I assume that will happen in Cal some day.

I haven't spent a lot of times on riverboats but I do recall the need to sail aspect of a casino I've been to in old New Orleans. But in Paducah (Ky.) I recall the boats only having to be in the water. Are you familiar with these?

Back in the mid 1970s I owned stock in Coca Cola Bottling Company of New York... the bottler, not the Coca Cola Company... and it was a hot stock back then because of its entry into riverboat gambling. Back then the boas had to be at sail for the "mini gambling cruise."