The mega-corporations that have taken over the casino industry have money and political power; professional gamblers, on the other hand, are nobodies, and lawmakers know which side their bread is buttered on. The majority of the American public is ignorant of the issues, and the small handful of professional players who see their civil rights being trampled are like a small voice in the wilderness.

When Bill Bible, the Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, was appointed by President Clinton to the new Federal Commission on Gaming in 1997, the American press reported extensively on the opposition to this appointment by the religious right. The debate centered on the pro-gambling vs. anti-gambling issues, with Bible portrayed by the right wing as the penultimate pro-gambling apologist. Ironically, all the professional gamblers I knew were more vehemently opposed to Bible's appointment than the anti-gambling lobby, as he is held by many to be personally responsible for the Nevada casinos' right to violate the state's cheating statutes at blackjack.

So, is this forty-plus-year war with the casinos almost over? Is this the beginning of the end? Hardly. Despite the technology, politics, legal persecution, and immense financial strength of the casino industry, I remain optimistic. With legal blackjack games now being offered in more than 25 states, there are more profit opportunities for card counters today than at any time in the history of card counting. Despite four-plus decades of stupid, sometimes illegal, and often very costly countermeasures, the casinos are not so stupid as to give up all their profits from their biggest moneymaking table game.

• The Great Blackjack Myth Part2 (0)
• The Great Blackjack Myth (0)
• The Future Of Blackjack (1)