Running a clandestine casino requires a lot of stealth–you need to get the word out, but not tip off the cops. You need to account for large amounts of people coming and going. You also, apparently, need to lock your door. From the AP:

Sheriff’s deputies found what appeared to be a small casino when they responded to a burglar alarm at the home of a former small town mayor who had served time in prison for an illegal gambling scheme, officials said.

The door was wide open when deputies arrived late Sunday at the upscale mountain home owned by Peter Werrlein, a former councilman and mayor in the city of Bell in suburban Los Angeles, said San Bernardino Sheriff’s Detective James Bergandahl.

Deputies entered the house and found a 1,200-square-foot room containing seven slot machines, a mini roulette wheel, mini craps table, blackjack and poker tables, buckets of coins and several poker chips, Bergandahl said. There also was a cashier’s cage and a posted “No Credit” sign.

“It looked like an illegal casino or gambling hall,” Bergandahl said.

Nobody was home and there was no sign of forced entry, he said, adding that authorities believe strong winds blew open the door.

SoCal authorities find apparent casino in home of former mayor

I think that Werrlein could argue it was his personal rec room “for entertainment only.” The “no credit” sign was just part of the ambiance.

Maybe I should call the local cops every time someone calls me and wants to buy casino carpet for their basement “play room.”

According to Star Trek, gambling will be a big part of the future. I’m a casual Star Trek fan at best, but I seem to remember that the senior officers in The Next Generation played poker together, and that the Ferengi guy on Deep Space Nine had a casino.

It looks like Trekkies will be able to digitally double down a lot sooner than the 25th century. At least that’s what I took away from this Business Press article by David McKee:

Local manufacturer Shuffle Master has inked a strategic alliance with Sona Mobile Holdings. Under the terms of the pact, Sona is to develop a wireless system for delivery of Shuffle Master game products.

The Shuffle Master/Sona products are intended for use within casino properties, thereby complying with Nevada’s recent legalization of on-site, portable gambling.

Shuffle Master markets a number of live table games in addition to a pair of electronic ones, Rapid Roulette and Table Master. Its core business centers on a variety of table-management tools, including shufflers, chip sorters, RFID-chip technology and drop boxes. Sona sells handheld devices — including a Star Trek communicator phone — that can be gaming-enabled, using wi-fi technology that the company says can be restricted to public areas, as determined by the casino.

Under the wireless-gambling regulations currently being finalized by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, on-site mobile gambling would be conducted only on machines owned and issued by the participating casinos, the target market for Sona and its new partner.

Las Vegas Business Press

Of course, I’m just connecting the dots there, but it makes sense: Sona makes Star Trek communicators, and they offer mobile gambling, so why not join the two.

Just think of the fun you could have narrating your gambling exploits in a Shatner-esque voice:

Captain’s log, stardate 89154.7010. I’ve gone all in with a pair of kings, and busted out when Lt. Sulu had pocket aces. It was a bad beat.

Note to trekkies: I know that 89154 probably isn’t a real star date–it’s just my work zip code, which was the first number I could think of.