May 27, 2026 by

Gamers’ Alert: None of the Betting Systems Work

Slots Play Casinos would like to draw the curtain away from the several betting systems around.  These systems are sold to the gambling public as sure-fire ways to win at the casino.

This they do not do.

Responsible Gamers Avoid Betting Systems

All of the gambling systems fall under the category of gambling irresponsibly.  Slots Play Casinos thrives on the notion that online casino play should best be seen as gaming and not as gambling.

Online casino gaming is a fun and entertaining activity.  When a gamer takes the “gambling” out of the equation, what is left is just fun.  There are a lot of things people do for fun.  Online casino play is one of them.  But just as a person could try to do too much athletically and tear an ACL, so can a casino player play too much, bet too much, or follow a betting system that guarantees winning and delivers losing.

Online Casino Play is Gaming

Sure, it’s true that most players at a casino put money on the outcomes of the games.  This is technically gambling.  But if you put a small and affordable amount of money on the outcomes of the games, and if you play for just a short period of time before going on to other activities, then you take the gambling out of the activity, and it turns into gaming.

Betting systems channel people’s gambling tendencies.  Most people like to gamble on a small scale, a friendly bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl or World Series.  Betting systems trick gamers into gambling.  Every betting system has a significant flaw that makes it untenable, even foolish.

What Happens to the Fun when a Gamer Uses a Betting System?

The fun goes out the window when a gamer tries to win by using a betting system.  The fun of gambling, the fun of turning gambling into responsible gaming, is all dependent on playing the games as they are and not turning to a flawed betting system for help winning.

Choose Correct Money Management Over Any Betting System

Sound, sensible, and responsible money management is the key to having fun playing casino games.  It is a lot easier to manage your money well when you play online.  That is because there is no reason to play on and on as so many players do at a land-based casino.  You can set a time limit on gaming, make sound bets, and go on to another activity when the session ends.

A long weekend at a land-based casino is simply too long to encourage responsible gaming.  Players end up losing more than they can reasonably afford to lose and resort to a betting system as an attempt to recoup their losses.

Even if you travel to a land-based casino for a long afternoon, you will end up spending far too much time at the casino.  Very few players would drive a few hours to go to a local land-based casino just to play for 30 to 60 minutes.

But online casino gaming is the perfect medium for short gaming sessions.  That is so unless you succumb to the lure of betting systems.  So, let’s look at betting systems and their inherent flaws.

The Martingale System

This is the most famous betting system.  It is most often recommended to be used on even money bets.  There are two big flaws with the Martingale System.   The first is that for all the increases in your bets, you can only win your original bet.  The second flaw is that it doesn’t take losing streaks into account.

Here is a quick chart to demonstrate how a short losing streak makes the system untenable.  We are playing roulette, and you make the so-called even money bets.  Your first bet is $5, and you have to double the bet after every loss.

Bet #1: $5                     Bet Loses

Bet #2: $10                    Bet Loses

Bet#3: $20                     Bet Loses

Now, if you double your bet and win, you will have lost $35 on the three losses, and you will win $40 on this bet for a total win of $5.  But you will have to put $40 down on the fourth bet in order to win $5.  Even bettors on Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes made better bets! And, if you lose the fourth bet, you will have to bet $80 to win $5!

The Paroli System

In this system, you double your bet after every win.  It should be obvious that eventually you will lose all of your winnings.  The Paroli System is supposed to take advantage of winning streaks, but no one can predict how long a winning streak will last.

The better course of action is simply to make the same bet, assuming you can afford to do so.  Once again, that is the result of sound money management.

The D’Alembert System

This system asks gamers to add one unit to the basic bet after every loss and subtract one unit after every win.  This is a less aggressive form of the Martingale. It assumes the same number of wins and losses over time, and since you are adding to your bet after losses, you win and come out ahead in the end.

It is not sound to assume an even breakdown of results over time.  The much more common result is that losses would be slightly greater than the number of wins.  It shares the flaw of the Martingale System in that it doesn’t take losing streaks into account.

Since you add only a single unit after a loss, the risk is much smaller than in the Martingale, but the end result is the same: you make an irresponsible bet to retrieve a very small amount of money.

There are No True Even Money Bets

Even if you play European Roulette, there is that onerous 0 that makes every bet slightly in favor of the house.  The house edge in European Roulette is about 2.5% while it is double that in American Roulette.

The Gambler’s Fallacy

This idea states that if an outcome has not happened in a while, it is due to happen.  At online casinos, every outcome is determined by the random number generator, which has no memory.  The RNG does not know that the outcome you want is due to happen.

The best strategy is to manage your time and money well.

Betting Systems and Playing Strategy

There are good playing strategies for gaming depending on the game you are playing.  The highest return to player rates are in blackjack and video poker at about 99.5%.

This result can be attained only if you use the best playing strategy on every hand.

If you just want to play a game of chance such as slots, you should be careful to make small bets.  The bets should be just enough to add to the fun of the bet without taking too much risk.

Slots Play Casinos Covers Online Casinos

We do understand that even now, a lot of players like going to a land-based casino.  We warn against getting caught up in the environment at land-based casinos, which is mainly to play on and on.  People who do this suddenly realize that they have lost more than they considered reasonable.

We encourage gamers to get caught up in the environment at online casinos, which is to enjoy gaming for a short time until it is time to close out the session and advance to other activities or responsibilities. We have published many guides to great game play and this large collection of essays that gamers use to make their online casino gaming a lot more fun.

COME TO SLOTS PLAY CASINOS OFTEN!

Laurie Renfield Picture
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Laurie Renfield has been part of the casino scene for both print and virtual media outlets for over two decades. Renfield's research focuses on both land-based casino entertainment and online casino gambling. She is dedicated to making sure that, regardless of where a player decides to compete, they'll achieve the best gambling experience and the most satisfying rewards.

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