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Tom Donovan, who made the news when he was first banned from the Grand Victoria Casino in the year 2006, has recently garnered attention or his appeal to the USA Supreme Court against the ban. It may just be possible that Donovan could get the Supreme Court to vote in his favor which could mean USA Casinos would have no choice but to allow card counters.
Donovan cited unfair treatment as his case claiming that the Grand Victoria Casino had no good reason to ban him. He appealed to the Indiana’s Supreme Court and seems to have met with a favorable attitude. Justice Frank Sullivan Jr. made a very valid point when he said: “Your casino … offers games where skill can be a factor, like blackjack and poker, in an effort to attract customers who think they have the requisite skill to win. But once you identify a customer who has the requisite skill to win, you pull the rug out from under them and say ‘Sorry you can’t play,’ ”
Tom Donovan does not have a reputation for cheating. Instead he is a computer programmer who acquired the skill of counting cards when he took an online class. He then used this skill to win money playing blackjack and has taken in as much as $65,000 over a 7 year period.
Donovan was banned from the Grand Victoria’s blackjack tables once he was discovered counting cards. The court in Marion County sided with the casino and ordered the player to refrain from the blackjack tables.
Whatever decision the Supreme Court of Indiana makes will have repercussions for the gaming industry as it could recognize card counting as a gaming skill.
What has changed since this story was published?