Introduction

In this day and age it has become extremely difficult to preserve one's personal privacy. Aside from a legal means to determine proof of age in order to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, or enter a casino, it has become the rule in today's society that an individual present some form of "government-issued photo identification" for:

• Entrance to buildings;
• Opening a bank account;
• Checking into a hotel room;
• Obtaining telephone service;

and many other services one may desire on a day-to-day basis. Our society has made it a requirement, not a law, to provide such documentation in order to function in the normal manner.

First and foremost, by actually applying for such an official identification, you are in essence providing the issuer (government agency) with your life story. You are now in "the database." The three most common forms of official identification are Driver's License, Passport, and Military Identification. Every time you comply with a request to present such identification you are at risk of revealing your personal information to at least one stranger.

It is understandable that certain businesses have such requirements as a measure to protect themselves against fraud and other dubious acts. However, the majority of the instances where such requirements exist are specifically installed to gather as much information about as many individuals as possible. Translation: marketing. We are being manipulated by what society dictates as a necessity. This can be dangerous. Your most critical information ends up in the database accessible to hundreds of employees. All it takes is one individual with a larcenous mind. One of the most notorious perpetrators of this practice is the casino industry.

My purpose is to enlighten the reader as to the ways casinos invade the personal privacy and violate the rights of their patrons. The manipulative methods used by casinos to obtain, record, and distribute your personal information will be illustrated. Players who are smart enough to figure out legal methods to win ("Advantage Players") must also be sharp enough to refuse to fall prey to the manipulative methods of the casino industry. This is especially true in the case of card counters looking to play blackjack. Whether you are a professional player with a winning system or a recreational player just looking to have some uncomplicated fun, you will learn how to avoid the pitfalls and protect your personal privacy.

The more an individual releases personal information to businesses, the greater the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.

As I got into the thick of things, writing this, I found myself going off on tangents. But then I realized that, even though this was the case, the information I'm elaborating on can be of great help to the reader. This is especially true in the case of a casino advantage player. Such an individual is not normally as exposed to some of the nuances as the majority of us folks. I feel these ramblings will provide more insight to these players, and enable them to guard against certain intrusions. Let's first talk about identity theft and ways we expose our personal information in our everyday lives.