The top gaming regulator in Pennsylvania says the state has no plan on tightening its blackjack rules, as the large Las Vegas Strip casinos have done. Strip casinos generally offer the tourists 6-5 blackjack—payoffs for blackjack at 6-to-5—as opposed to the traditional 3-to-2 payoff, and have tightened other player-friendly rules to boost the house advantage of a game in which skilled players can reduce the house edge to 1 percent or less.
In an interview with Pittsburgh’s TribLIVE website, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole said that while new games could be added to casino lineups in the coming year, the board has no intention of touching the payer-friendly blackjack rules.
“Our board has consistently recognized their responsibility to protect the gaming public in all aspects of legalized gaming,” O’Toole said. “Part of that is to have rules of the game that provide an appropriate house advantage to the casino but something that still meets a standard of reasonableness and a standard of fairness. We’re pleased with how we have accomplished that in games that have been on the books since 2010.”
In addition to the traditional 3-to-2 blackjack payoff, Pennsylvania maintains player-friendly blackjack rules in several other areas:
• Dealer must stand on Soft 17.
• Player may double-down on any two cards and may double after splitting a pair.
• Casinos must offer the surrender option when the dealer’s up card indicates a possible blackjack.
