I love my IPhone and everything that it can do. It has made it possible to leave my bulky laptop at home while I travel and the applications are entertaining and practical. I have reviewed a few of the gambling related IPhone applications and will be doing more reviews in the future.

Last week one of the IPhone applications made national news and it could affect patrons who use the IPhone when they visit the casino. The application was the Blackjack Card Counter program that allows blackjack players to count cards by tapping the screen to input the information about the cards that have been played. The IPhone vibrates when the count is high alerting the player to raise his bet.

The application was first used at an Indian Casino in California. Operators of a Northern California Indian casino discovered customers using the program and alerted the California Bureau of Gambling Control. They in turn notified the Nevada Gaming Commission. The story was also reported on CNN news and in various news papers including the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Nevada Commission sent a memo to all of the States casinos warning them about the program

Although card counting is not illegal casinos can ban players who they either catch or who they suspect are card counters, however using a device to aid in the counting of cards is considered a felony under Nevada laws. This would include using the IPhone Card Counter application.

in the past whenever the casinos get a hint that a game is beatable they over react. They have done this with regular card counter and precision dice shooters. Now I have to wonder how this latest news will affect players who have IPhones and what legal issues may arise from it.

For example: If I was sitting at a Blackjack table and winning and the pit noticed I was carrying an IPhone on my belt could they demand to see it and or confiscated it to check for card counting applications?
Would you be detained and or arrested if you refused to give them your phone?
Can they refuse to admit anyone with an IPhone from entering the casino?
A few weeks ago I review the IPhone application for Video Poker based on the WinPoker software that allows you to look up the correct play like you would with a paper strategy chart. I have to wonder now if using this application would also constitute using an illegal "device"?

I am sure this is just the beginning of an IPhone controversy in the casinos