"Black Book" is the nickname frequently used to refer to a list of people who are unwelcome in

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

s. The name is due to the people listed being

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

. The term can refer either to such a list officially maintained by a particular

gaming control board A gaming control board (GCB), also called by various names including gambling control board, casino control board, gambling board, and gaming commission, is a government agency charged with Regulation, regulating casino and other types of gaming i ...

or, in the US, to the '' Griffin Book'', whose information is shared among subscribing casinos. According to technologist Jeff Jonas, "Casinos face legal and

financial risk Financial risk is any of various types of risk associated with financing, including financial transactions that include company loans in risk of default. Often it is understood to include only downside risk, meaning the potential for financi ...

if they let the wrong people play. People with

gambling addiction Problem gambling, ludopathy, or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to DSM-5 if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological ga ...

s can place themselves on exclusionary lists, and can actually sue casinos if they are allowed to place bets." In the case of gaming control boards, people listed are generally suspected of having, or known to have, ties to

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

. Casinos are obliged by regulations to exclude all such people from entry and can be subject to sanctions for failure to do so. In the ''Griffin Book'', published by

Griffin Investigations Griffin Investigations was once the most prominent group of private investigators specializing in the United States gambling industry; roughly half of the major casinos in the US once subscribed to Griffin's services. The company was founded in ...

, listed individuals are generally suspected of being, or known to be, either legal

advantage players Advantage gambling, or advantage play, refers to legal methods used to gain an advantage while gambling, in contrast to cheating in casinos, cheating. The term usually refers to Casino game, house-banked casino games, but can also refer to games ...

or illegal

cheaters A cheater is one who engages in cheating, subversion of the rules to obtain an advantage. Cheater(s) may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Cheater'' (film), a 2016 Indian Marathi-language film * ''Cheaters'' (1934 film), an Ameri ...

at casino games. Thus, casinos find it to their economic best interest to exclude such individuals. Those listed may be anyone perceived as a threat to the casino's profits, whether through legal means, such as

card counters Card or The Card may refer to: Common uses * Plastic cards of various types: **Bank card ** Credit card **Debit card **Payment card * Playing card, used in games * Printed circuit board, or card * Greeting card, given on special occasions Arts a ...

, or through illegal means, such as people who mark cards or those who try to cheat

slot machine A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...

s. Also included are those considered a threat to the casino, such as players the casinos believe are winning either too much or too often, even if their exact methods are unknown. The book includes photos of the individuals taken when detained, or when questioned and released, or from surveillance footage. At least one successful defamation lawsuit has been brought as a result of the ''Griffin Book''.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Book (Gaming) Blacklisting Casinos Gambling regulation