4 Things Casinos have in Common with Dungeons and Dragons

For most, Role-Playing-Game Dungeons and dragons will have very little connection to Casinos; here are four things both have in common.

To most people, casinos will be placed somewhere on their list of ‘cool things’ while Dungeons and dragons will most definitely not make any appearance on the list; or in-fact be anywhere near the list whatsoever.

Obviously this statement won’t be true for those people who actively now, or once have, been involved with Dungeons and Dragons in their life. They’re opinions don’t count though; c’mon they like Dungeons and Dragons.

Those concerns aside, the two seemingly un-connected and unrelated past-times actually have a few fundamental things in common. We’ve taken the liberty of pointing them out for you, so here they are.

Oh and we’re ignoring the blatantly obvious fact that both Dungeons and Dragons and casinos, and be extension the activities occurring within them, revolve around dice; that would be too predictable.

Religious Opposition

This one is easy; more so than in any other nation, both land based and internet casinos in the US have been plagued with disapproval and opposition by religious groups. This is not limited to America; it just seems that the American church folks tend to be the most vocal.

Dungeons and Dragons
• Created by friends Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, after being inspired by the war-game Chainmail
• Games are run by Dungeon Master, who acts as both referee and storyteller
• Released by TSR Inc in 1974 and later acquired by Wizards of the Coast in 1997

Dungeons and Dragons fans have faced equally strong negativity and concern throughout the games history. Specifically, during the 1980s, there was a strong public anxiety fuelled by unfounded mass-media hysteria. The games and gaming societies were even likened to a cult.

In 1985, Jon Quigley, of the Lakeview Full Gospel Fellowship, spoke for many opponents when he claimed: "The game is an occult tool that opens up young people to influence or possession by demons."

There was significant coverage of the games apparent demonic undertones and Satan-worshiping themes. The public fully expected the streets to become over-run by possessed youngsters hungry for the blood of the pure; obviously, none of that happened.

They’re Addictive

There is no shortage of gambling news articles attempting to drive home the fact that gambling is addictive and should not be tolerated. The facts of the matter show that people do get addicted to gambling; there more than a few tragic stories of people literally throwing their lives away with a few too many rolls of the dice.

However, it can easily be argued that gambling is enjoyed, for the most part, by millions of people who don’t become addicted so it’s difficult to blame the concept of gambling itself.

People can become addicted to a whole host of things and Dungeons and Dragons is no exception. Many youngsters have spent thousands of hours of their lives playing Dungeons and Dragons, some letting it take over their lives

It’s important to note though, that perhaps more of the blame of addictions should be aimed at the people who are actually exhibiting the addictive behavior; not the activities they are addicted too. Too many people who take part don’t become addicted to gambling or Dungeons and Dragons, so completely blaming the games for the addiction is a bit unfair.

Key Central Figures & Nerds

In all casino games, there is a dealer who controls the pace of the game, deals the cards, dishes out instructions and generally guides the players as the game flows.

In Dungeons and Dragons, there is an equivalent role of the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master controls all aspects of the game, except for the actions of the player characters and describes to the other players what they see and hear as the game progresses; the master also acts as a referee.

The final comparison that can be made about these two past-times is the typically participants of each. Sure, casinos are cool, I even said so myself earlier; but casinos are a lot cooler in theory than in reality.

Real life and mobile casinos tend to be used primarily by specific groups of people; typically they will be overweight, ugly and smell bad. The people you will encounter in a real casino, probably out-with Vegas, tend to be a far cry from the glamorous individual’s you’ll see sitting at the poker tables in a James Bond film.

Dungeons and Dragons has, and probably always will have, a huge following of nerds and social outcasts. Again, typical features are the same as described above for the casino gamblers. Obviously this is just an example, there are probably some non-nerds who also do both.

So that’s the list; two things which usually would not be associated with one another have a few more things in common than one might expect. So whether you’re a gambling fan, a Dungeons and Dragons player, a dealer or a Dungeon Master, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone and you’re all the same in a weird kind of way.