- Thread starter frank12
- Start date
Casino Scams in the DR
Thanks POH,
Since i wrote thee story (about 3-weeks ago) and posted it on a Facebook page, "Everything Cabarete & Coconut Telegraph," several people have come into the bar/restaurant i work at and told me their stories. I've heard a lot of stories in 3-weeks, as well as stories about people's friends or loved ones who got taken here in the DR. One guy lost $8000 dollars. A woman lost slightly less, and Joe--a well known expat from Rhode Island that lives here in town (Cabarete) lost money--as did his friends. They confirm that the ball count is so fast that it would be physically impossible to verify the count before the dealer sweeps the balls up at once.
Therefore, it seems that everyone starts out winning. This helps to pull people into the game. Once they're hooked, then the losing begins. Not one person has come forward and said that they won at this game--known as "Progressive Roulette"--also known as "Razzle Dazzle," as well as some other names.
This would explain why there are so many internet videos, stories, and explanations of how the game/scam works.
Frank
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"Razzle Dazzle. This game, no matter what name it goes under, is the one Matthew Gryczan, in Carnival Secrets, calls "the most vicious game on the midway."
Razzle is a game sometimes presented on carnival midways and historically, in the casinos of Havana, Cuba. The game is also known as Razzle-Dazzle. This generic name is seldom known to players, as it is generally presented as Football, Ten Points Win, Baseball, Mo-Co, Indian Poker, Cajun Bingo or other name selected to generate interest for the locals. According to gaming expert Darwin Ortiz, the Razzle is seldom, if ever, run honestly. The nature of the game makes it a particular money-maker for dishonest carnies.
Razzle consists of a playing board with numbered holes, averaging 120, upon which eight marbles are spilled from a cup. The numbers are added to a total and that total is displayed on a chart, that looks something like a calendar, with the value for that number displayed beneath it. In most Razzle set-ups, the player must bet one unit (dollar, pound, Euro) per roll, and must keep rolling until he achieves 10 points. The player does not "lose" until he walks away, but in reality the player loses the minute he steps up to the game, as the game is almost always played dishonestly.
The points per number chart is the secret. The numbers most likely to come up are worthless or only indicate that you have to double or increase the bet. Most dishonest razzle games also rely on a fast count by the game operator to trick the player into believing he has a better number total than he actually rolled. This is used to keep the player hooked into the game, increasing his point total periodically, causing him to invest more and more into the game. Increasingly the player believes that walking away would be a disaster; he only needs one or two more points. Unfortunately for the player, he never actually gets that last point. According to Darwin Ortiz, most Razzle operators are not satisfied until they get their mark's last dollar.
Even if the game were run honestly, the mathematical nature of the razzle board makes it entirely unlikely that a player would ever win before running out of money, or that the prizes won would ever equal the amount of money spent chasing them.
Another feature of the game is that more than one prize can be won in a game. All the player must do is score a certain number to win additional prizes. The flattie running the game, however, usually states that for every additional prize the player is aiming for, he must make another bet. In most cases the extra prize is just an excuse for the operator to hustle the player's money more quickly.
The Razzle is such a devastatingly effective scam that some crooked-booth operators have been known to even abandon their store's theme and bring out the razzle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razzle_(game)
Razzle is a game sometimes presented on carnival midways and historically, in the casinos of Havana, Cuba. The game is also known as Razzle-Dazzle. This generic name is seldom known to players, as it is generally presented as Football, Ten Points Win, Baseball, Mo-Co, Indian Poker, Cajun Bingo or other name selected to generate interest for the locals. According to gaming expert Darwin Ortiz, the Razzle is seldom, if ever, run honestly. The nature of the game makes it a particular money-maker for dishonest carnies.
Razzle consists of a playing board with numbered holes, averaging 120, upon which eight marbles are spilled from a cup. The numbers are added to a total and that total is displayed on a chart, that looks something like a calendar, with the value for that number displayed beneath it. In most Razzle set-ups, the player must bet one unit (dollar, pound, Euro) per roll, and must keep rolling until he achieves 10 points. The player does not "lose" until he walks away, but in reality the player loses the minute he steps up to the game, as the game is almost always played dishonestly.
The points per number chart is the secret. The numbers most likely to come up are worthless or only indicate that you have to double or increase the bet. Most dishonest razzle games also rely on a fast count by the game operator to trick the player into believing he has a better number total than he actually rolled. This is used to keep the player hooked into the game, increasing his point total periodically, causing him to invest more and more into the game. Increasingly the player believes that walking away would be a disaster; he only needs one or two more points. Unfortunately for the player, he never actually gets that last point. According to Darwin Ortiz, most Razzle operators are not satisfied until they get their mark's last dollar.
Even if the game were run honestly, the mathematical nature of the razzle board makes it entirely unlikely that a player would ever win before running out of money, or that the prizes won would ever equal the amount of money spent chasing them.
Another feature of the game is that more than one prize can be won in a game. All the player must do is score a certain number to win additional prizes. The flattie running the game, however, usually states that for every additional prize the player is aiming for, he must make another bet. In most cases the extra prize is just an excuse for the operator to hustle the player's money more quickly.
The Razzle is such a devastatingly effective scam that some crooked-booth operators have been known to even abandon their store's theme and bring out the razzle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razzle_(game)
The worst I heard was 3 guys loosing US$11k in Sosua Bay casino a few years back, they were kept in their condo and wouldn't let go for 2 days before all the money was wired in by relatives from abroad (their CC had maxed out). To be honest these types of actions can't be legal, so the casino, police and other locals are all in on it. Very shameful to be just ignored by authorities higher up and still be carried out all over DR...
I've always preferred a good honest stripper club to throw away my money, but everybody's different.
If the guy lost 8000 "pesos" which is believable while playing, sipping on a cocktail and enjoying the crowd, thats entertainment. If he lost 8000 dollars he needs to be sterelized so he cannot pass on his genes.
One would HAVE to think this is Pesos... How can anyone be stoopid enough to lose $8,000 usd and 12K in a 3rd world country.. especially money you dont even HAVE on your physically.
Who takes out a Marker in a 3rd world county ?( i think thats the term, im honestly not a gambler, but do enjoy Poker).. of course they gonna keep you prisoner in your hotel room til you pay up.why would they not .
I mean at some point you have to realize they are cheating you, no ?
wait , dont answer that ..
the worst thing a gambler can do, is try to win back the money he just lost ...in the same NIGHT.
but that is the sickness, I guess.
Who takes out a Marker in a 3rd world county ?( i think thats the term, im honestly not a gambler, but do enjoy Poker).. of course they gonna keep you prisoner in your hotel room til you pay up.why would they not .
I mean at some point you have to realize they are cheating you, no ?
wait , dont answer that ..
the worst thing a gambler can do, is try to win back the money he just lost ...in the same NIGHT.
but that is the sickness, I guess.
If one hands over thier credit card and signs the recipient well then they are dumb enough to sign over thier house and car title to boot. Absolutely no sympathy.
You would think that in this age of mini cameras someone would be able to film a game in progress.
I've learned to stay out of the casinos. They are rigged in Las Vegas against you, but here they are set up to steal from your credit card. I have 4 friends at different times over the past 3 years who arrive home to find strange charges. It could be they used it elsewhere but they stayed with me so it was not a hotel.
And the crowds in the casinos seem to have dwindled from the heydays, but since I seldom stop in it maybe I just may be missing the action nights
Sent from my HTC One A9 using Tapatalk
And the crowds in the casinos seem to have dwindled from the heydays, but since I seldom stop in it maybe I just may be missing the action nights
Sent from my HTC One A9 using Tapatalk
How many People have given their Credit Cards to these places , and WON something ... that should be a big First Clue..
The fact that you are willing to give them your CC info & sign
Proves to them you are a natural born Sucker , there to be swindled .. they then move in for the kill..
PT Barnum at work .. nothing new ..
The fact that you are willing to give them your CC info & sign
Proves to them you are a natural born Sucker , there to be swindled .. they then move in for the kill..
PT Barnum at work .. nothing new ..
Casino's in RD or all over the world are loaded with vermon . Even if the casino was running a legit operation the odds are still stacked against you . Not saying you can't get lucky a few times but if you think you are going to make money the joke is on you . My best advice is go have a few laughs couple of drinks maybe play alittle then get out of dodge .vegas was built on losers
Gambling is a sickness .
Gambling is a sickness .
Slots and lottery have taken millions more money from tourists and locals alike than any razzal dazzle roulette game. If you want 50- 50 odds and no cheating go to the cock fights. If someone were to get caught cheating there I don't think there body would every be found.