Gambling News - July 2005 Edition

"Lucky for Some - Gambling Superstitions"

Internet gamblers have the same superstitions as casino gamblers.

It seems that the same superstitions that accompany players in casinos now accompany online gamblers. Are online gamblers superstitious? All cultures have superstitions and all cultures have always had superstitions. Some cultures are more superstitious than others. People have superstitions about every conceivable action or idea and gamblers are no exception. What is more, the fact that people can now gamble at remote locations by playing over the Internet is absolutely no reason to believe that they are any less prone to superstitions than their counterparts who play at traditional casinos.

It is odd to think that the gambling superstitions of casino players should apply to online gamblers, but since gamblers are exceptionally more prone to irrational beliefs than others, it is worth examining how these superstitions have adapted themselves to online gambling. This statement does not mean that gamblers are irrational people, but it confirms that because luck plays a major role in gambling, in spite of the gambler’s awareness that studying the mechanics of a game or having knowledge of the laws of probability are much more likely to enhance the chances of winning than luck. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the superstitions held by gamblers and try and see how they have adapted themselves to the world of online gambling on the Internet. Note that gamblers share many of the basic superstitions that are prevalent in the non-gambling world, such as breaking mirrors, walking under ladders, or crossing the path of a black cat, but in the world of gambling, these superstitions take on a different significance.

Breath: A common sight in a casino, seeing a player blowing on a dice before he rolls it, as a way of inviting good luck. Could this have originated from the original practice of spitting on tools such as axes to make them work better? Whatever the origins, there is no reason why a person sitting in front of his computer should not blow on the computer before sitting down to play at an online casino.

Chairs: A casino superstition to deflect bad luck is to get up from your chair and turn around three times with it. For online players, there is absolutely nothing to stop them from doing this at home in front of the computer or swiveling around three times in the computer chair before resuming the game.

Salt: Perhaps one of the most universal and oldest of superstitions. People throw salt over their shoulder while others place the salt around whatever area or object they want to protect from bad spirits or bad luck. People have even been seen to place salt around the gaming tables or the slot machines. The adaptation of this to online gambling would be to throw a little salt over your shoulder as you sit down in front of the computer before you start playing at an Internet gambling site.

Lucky Charms: Lucky Charms go anywhere. If a gambler wears it to bring him luck when he goes to a casino he will wear it when he sits down to gamble at his home computer.

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