Top 10 Gambling Myths Debunked: Fact vs. Fiction

Gambling has always been a fascinating activity shrouded in mystery, or at least that’s how non-gamblers look at it.

To a certain extent, the gambling community would also agree that many myths have managed to persist among a sizable majority, even if they have been proven false.

Be it suspicion against the casino, the games, or your own luck. There have been plenty of myths that still exist among gamblers, be they beginners, amateurs, or sometimes even professionals.

Let’s get down the rabbit hole and debunk the ten most common myths in the betting world so you can make better decisions when gambling.

10. Casino games are rigged.

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The house always wins, or at least that's what you say when going through a losing streak. We have all felt like a game is rigged when we go through a couple of bad rounds. However, playing in a licensed casino with games from reputed developers makes sure that casinos don’t get an unfair advantage.

Be it in brick-and-mortar joints or online casinos, most are under the control of various gaming boards that ensure fair play and go through regular evaluations.

Remember to check the house edge and RTP on games before you play to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Online gambling always has an element of RNG, which makes it virtually impossible to rig it for specific outcomes.

9. Gambling is only based on luck.

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Although luck plays a vital role in many games, skill and strategy are just as important. Keeping aside luck-based games like slots, bingo, or roulette, there are many games that require experience and sound strategy to win. That being said, gambling requires some element of skill in all fields.

One of the best examples of this is poker, which brings a ton of competition between players through skill and resourcefulness. Although cards will come at random, it's your skill that helps you make the best use of them.

Other games that require skill to win include blackjack, sports betting, craps, and even skill-based slots. Additionally, there are various betting strategies that make sure you have the highest possible advantage in luck-based games.

8. Betting systems can eliminate the house edge.

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This is a myth that is fuelled by internet gurus at every turn. Throughout the web, you will find many betting systems that claim to reduce or even eliminate the house edge on games. Although you can take steps to increase your odds, there will always be an advantage enjoyed by casinos.

We can recommend using a betting system to manage your bankroll or to have an order in which you gamble, as they can be very helpful in that regard. However, steer clear of betting systems that claim to eliminate the house edge, as it isn’t possible.

You will find plenty of people swearing by these systems, but relying on them to eliminate the casino’s house edge is a myth that you shouldn’t subscribe to.

7. After a string of losses, you will get a win.

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One of the biggest myths that we must tackle is that gamblers believe they are owed a win after an unfortunate string of losses. Also known as the Gambler’s Fallacy, sticking with a game after you have sunk some time and money into it may feel like a viable decision, but it is also important to know that losses or wins don’t impact your odds at all.

Take the age-old slot machine: gamblers will often go for the machines that have not produced many wins in hopes of striking it rich and also avoid the machines that hit a big jackpot.

These wins are sometimes dispersed throughout the region or even the state, and adding in the RNG element of these games means that your odds never really go down or up. The same goes for roulette or dice-based games, which is why we must consider every hand as having an independent chance of winning.

6. Hot and cold streaks when gaming

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Going off of the previous myth, gamblers often associate machines that pay at regular intervals as hot and machines that don’t as cold or dry. Wins are determined by RTP and volatility rather than winning or losing streaks.

As we stated before, games of chance absolutely rely on RNG for their functions, which means their previous outcome has no bearing on future odds.

Slots have absolutely exploded in popularity, and so have the myths surrounding them, but hot or cold streaks are just that: myths. These machines rely on RNG and complex algorithms, so the next time you sit down with a game, remember to check their RTP and volatility rather than how many times they have paid out.

5. Card counting: a guaranteed win or illegal activity

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Whenever you approach gamblers who love their card games to ask their opinion on card counting, you might hear any of the two extreme statements. Although you may have heard otherwise, card counting isn’t illegal in the US or the UK. Although casinos have tried to spread this narrative, courts throughout the world have ruled against making it illegal.

Although casinos don’t like it, and private entities can ban you from the game or the casino entirely, it remains perfectly legal. However, don’t go around thinking it is a guaranteed winning strategy, either.

Casinos have started reshuffling frequently and using more and more decks to make card counting as hard as possible. The edge that you might have had before might not materialize nowadays.

4. Busy casinos mean more slot wins.

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Although busier casinos might look more tempting to play in, your ability to win games inside them doesn’t change. The logic behind this myth is that more people playing means more money flowing through the casino and more people winning. However, this is once again untrue unless you like progressive slots.

Once again, RNG plays a huge part in whether or not you win inside a casino. These random number generators are made to be unpredictable and random, and even though more people playing means someone will eventually win, it doesn’t impact your game at all. That is unless you are playing progressive slots, where busier casinos can mean the prize pool gets bigger more quickly.

You will also find busier casinos hosting events that you can get in on and have a more fun time gambling.

3. Gambling is a way to get rich quickly.

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Although we have all heard it a million times, there are many people, especially rookie gamblers, who view it as a way to get quick money. Be it the media, the subconscious, or the optimist within people, this myth continues to persist among gamblers.

Even though there are many people who have won huge amounts of money over the years, gambling can never be a primary source of income. With house edge being a factor, you already know they have a slight advantage over you.

Add to that the fact that you will be taking consistent risks that may not always go in your favor, and it becomes clear why we should always treat it like a form of entertainment at all times.

2. Casinos pump oxygen to keep players engaged.

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This persistent myth has been around for numerous years, and it only portrays casinos as unfair and unethical entities. Be it through movies or the lack of windows in casinos, people think that the air that they breathe is full of oxygen to keep players engaged.

Not only is it illegal to tamper with air quality in most countries, but pumping excess oxygen is a fire risk at best and dangerous to breathe at worst. Without a comfortable gaming experience, casinos would already be out of business, which is also why they don’t do anything to hamper the players’ experience inside them.

Although there are some ways that casinos manipulate players, they don’t do something as drastic as pumping excess oxygen through the air conditioning vents.

1. Winning a jackpot is impossible.

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To end on a more positive note, slot machine enthusiasts and fanatics alike obsess over big jackpots. The media covers it; it’s all over social media, and it gets talked about for days among gamblers. However, there’s also a flip side to it: many people believe that winning a jackpot is impossible.

Although the odds can be very low, it is statistically impossible to have no winners. This fact only multiplies when we think of progressive slots, where someone down the line wins the substantially increased sum.

Approaching gaming with a neutral mindset is better than coming into it with the negative perception that you cannot win a jackpot.

We need to be realistic about it and remember that the vast majority might not win, but there have been gamblers who have become millionaires overnight because they took their chances. Swinging from extremes where you can easily win to extremes where you think you will never win a jackpot isn’t the right approach.

Gambling has been around for centuries, so it's only natural that several myths have popped up over the years.

Dispelling these myths and promoting a healthy and responsible gambling atmosphere is very important.

Understanding the facts behind these myths also helps you make well-informed decisions, which will go a long way to improving your gambling journey.

With all these myths debunked, you know exactly where people might be spreading the wrong information. That said, did you believe in any of these myths? Putting facts over fiction is our top priority, and we wish you well on your gambling journey!