Grand Princess Casino Antigua - Beware!

[winbig]

In essence those numbers required you to continue to double your bet, until you run out of money.



You have to double your bet in the middle of the game???

[hans2468]

Hello winbig,

A big part of the problem with this game is that the actual complete rules are shrouded in mystery. Yeah, yeah, why would anyone would ever play any game without knowing the rules? It sounds stupid, and it is. Remember it all starts with the offer of "a free turn". Seriously, if an attractive girl smiling ever so sweetly came up to you in a strange casino and offered you a free turn at a game where you could win instant cash, what would you do? From there its all down hill as the game operator makes it sound as if he's really on your side and wants you to win. The whole thing is designed as a psychological mind twist. If you've ever seen Derren Brown on T.V. you have an idea of the implications (he has a great web site at http://www.channel4.com/entertainmen...M/mindcontrol/ )

To answer the question, yes you have have to double your bet in the middle of the game. You have to double your bet with each new ball. Players typically only really find this out after their second turn. The first $5 bet is "free". You pull one ball and get lets say 78 points. The dealer says congratulations that's a good score, you only need a few more points to get to 100 and win a $100 cash prize. You will have to pony up $10 to pull the next ball. Sounds like a good bet! You hand over the $10, scoop a ball out and the dealer takes the ball and reads you the number, say 17. Great! now you've got 95 points. Almost home and dry, right? Now the dealer says the jackpot has increased to $250, you only need to pony up $20 to pull one more ball. How can you refuse? The next ball is a 3. Now you've got 98 points. The jackpot is raised again to $500 but one more ball will cost you $40. Well you've come this far and done really well to get 98 points so how silly is it to walk away when you are this close to winning the big one?

The next ball you pull has one of those numbers above 100. Huh? The dealer patiently explains that its effectively a no score ball so you still only have 98 points. He might refer to this as a free turn just to confuse matters even more. The good news is - the jackpot is now $1,000 and you only have to cough up another $80 dollars to win really big! Yes, we do take VISA, Mastercard, and AMEX. Thanks, I'll just send that card over for authorization right now.

By now all the sane people really should have gone home to lick their wounds. The reality is that by deliberately targeting young couples and persons who have consumed some alcohol the dealer can manage to talk a certain percentage of them into continuing. Its always "you just need one more turn to win big". Sickening, isn't it?

The next ball is likely to be a 1 so now you've got 99 points. Gee! just 1 more point you need to get the new improved $2,500 jackpot. An absolute bargain at only $160 to pop the ball! How can anyone refuse? You'd have to be mad! Right?

Strangely, the elusive 1 ball never appears. For all I know there isn't a 1 ball anywhere in Antigua! You can continue to play and you will learn new rules about the game and the true meaning of all those mystery balls but you will never win. You might pull a "losing number" but more likely your credit card will eventually max out. And then you finally quit.

"Worlds worst casino game". Yes, I'd certainly give it my vote.

hans

[Mousey]

Seriously, if an attractive girl smiling ever so sweetly came up to you in a strange casino and offered you a free turn at a game where you could win instant cash, what would you do?

Ummm... tell her to go take a flying leap, and then walk away?

Seriously... Regardless of the OP's personal stake (or lack thereof) in this ... this is a carnival game and should be avoided at all costs.

[hans2468]

I just went back to the superkenoscam web site to rummage around. They have a remarkably consistent description of the game as it is played in D.R. and I thought someone might be interested. I really wish I'd known about this earlier. Anyway, here's the URL -

http://www.superkenoscam.com/theGame.htm

How is Super Keno played?
The game consists of 305 balls of the size of a ping pong ball with non-sequential numbers between 11 and 149 on them contained on a transparent plastic-like box like the one you would see on the loto. The balls are barely popping inside the box.

For example, there is 15 balls with the number 141. If you draw one of this ball it causes the jack pot and your next bet to double. This means that if the jackpot was $200.00 its now $400.00 and if your bet was $5.00 it is from now on $10.00 if your want to continue playing.

The idea is that with each bet you “buy” a ball. Each ball has a black stripe in which there is a small white number. Located somewhere on the table is a chart in which every number that is painted on the ball is listed with it meaning in the game.

The goal of the game is to accumulate and reach 100 points and then you win the jackpot. Your reach 100 points by drawing balls with points until you reach 100 or if you draw the balls 36, 117, 125 or 126 (there is only one of each among the 305 balls.

Along the game you may also win small prizes between $5.00 and $25.00 and if you get four of the kind of the blue, silver or gold you may also win a cash prize.

When you first arrive at the table you are asked to place a bet which usually is between a $5.00 or a $10.00. Initially the dealer will place the house bet or jack pot equivalent to 40 times your bet. If you bet $5.00 the casino will place $200.00 as the initial jackpot.

Once you have placed your bet you are allow to withdraw one of the ball from its container using a stick with a small basket at the end, big enough to fit one ball. The dealer will quickly take the ball and announce the number, its meaning, execute its meaning, all this while he places the ball back in the container. Things happen so fast that you are not able to see what has just happened just to see the result of it on the table and only because the dealer tells you.

Once the ball is drawn it is quickly returned to the container without giving you the opportunity to verify the number.

As the game progresses the jackpot will continue to grow as well as the minimum bet. The game proceeds rather quickly and you will find yourself within striking distance of the jackpot. Most people we have spoken with tell us that they reach the 90 point range very quickly.

Once you have run out of cash you will be “invited” to use your credit card (Visa or Master Card only). After all, the dealer, in a most assuring tone, will assure you that you are only minutes away to win the jackpot. Once you have given your credit card the game goes into “automatic mode”, as it were, as from now on is the dealer who controls your bet.

What is the reality of the game?

Once you have lost all your money or have had the good sense of leaving before it gets worst, most people initially feel that they were the subjects of bad luck and go away to lick their wounds.

But the truth is that you really never had a chance. The game seems to be rigged from the very beginning, from the odds to the way the game is handled by the dealer.

In most cases the victim arrive at the table because they were approached by an attractive young lady that, after asking where you are from, invites you to “test a new game”. To motivate you in this “harmless test” you are offered free chips to try it out. If you accept you will be escorted to the Super Keno table where you will be received by an engllish speaking dealer.

Once the game start the only thing you do is place the bet (while you have cash only), pull the ball and watch the dealer do the rest. He takes the ball, he reads the ball, he tells you what the balls means and he places it back before you had a chance to see what is really in the ball. All this in a matter of 30 seconds or less.

The truth is that you really don’t know if all the balls are in the container, or how many of each number. You never are shown or able to see the number on the ball every time you pull one. You must blindly trust the dealer and the casino that they are "honest". This is a "blind trust" of the worst kind as casinos at the Dominican Republic are not supervised by anyone.

But the main question is, why every person is able to reach the 90’s at lightning speeds and never reach the remaining points to win the jackpot?

While investigating the game I went to one of the casinos that offer it and was able to experience what hundreds of people have experienced. I too reached 76 points within the first 12 balls So it stand to reason, or so it seems, that if I am able to reach 76 points so fast then, why wouldn’t I be able to get the remaining 24 points the same?

It seems that everyone I have spoken with that have fallen victim of the game have "great luck" at the beginning and as soon as they reach 99 points their luck completely runs out.

Why is that so many get to 99 points but never get the last point? Why is so easy to get the fist 99 points but not the last one? Could it be due to the way the ball is handled by the dealer? Or that the balls aren’t all there?

Remember, Casinos are not supervised by anyone in the Dominican Republic. Yet, everyone we have spoken with there acknowledge that it is known that the Super Keno is a scam. Hotel managers acknowledge that they receive many complaints yet they refuse to do anything about it.


What happens when you have reached the limit on your credit card?

Once your credit card is max out your will be asked to settle your debt to the casino. Usually one or two security agents will stand behind you when this happens. Couples will be split while one goes to the managers office the other one will remain at the table.

What just happened is that your liberty, in a foreign country, will be restricted until you pay off.

You will be asked to make phone calls to your credit card and sign credit card checks. Only then you will be “free” to go.

After all this, you will be given the “opportunity” to come the next day and continue your game exactly where you left it.