Is there something fishy at Royal Caribbean's Casino Royale?

We were on Odyssey of the Seas on the transatlantic crossing in April 2023 and there were a few things we felt were a bit fishy...
This blog contains our opinions based on our experiences on the sailing and what we have heard from other players in the casino.
RTP (Return to Player)
**********************
Return to Player (RTP) is a phrase commonly used in gambling, which refers to the percentage or value of rewards that a player can expect to receive based on their initial deposit.
According to ChatGPT the average Return to Player (RTP) in Las Vegas will vary depending on the casino and game being played, but as a general rule, most casinos in Las Vegas have an RTP of around 90-95% for their slot machines.
In the UK for example gaming machines must make information available about their category, RTP and whether they are compensated or random.
On the Odyssey of the Seas we approached the casino host to ask what their RTP was. The response we got was they would not tell us, as it was a secret.
As a lot of Royal Caribbean cruise ships are registered in the Bahamas and sail in international waters they do not have to follow the same rules and regulations that land based casinos must follow. As such they are not required to disclose these statistics.
The fact that Royal Caribbean is not willing to disclose the RTP numbers would indicate that there is something they are trying to hide. Royal Caribbean should be more transparent.
Points Earned
**************
On the Odyssey of the Seas we chose to spend $600 playing low stakes across 6 or so different slot machines. We were only able to earn 280 points with the $600, which equates to $2.14 dollars per point. If the RTP at the casino was 85%, which is consider to be low, we would expect to make 1.19 points per dollar or 714 points for $600.
We may have been exceptionally unlucky at the casino on the sailing, but this is the worst points per dollar ratio we have seen on any cruise ship we have sailed on.
We wonder if the RTP on Odyssey of the Seas had been set intentionally low, in order to minimize payouts and maximise profits. We have for example noticed that the casinos on older ships such as Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas have been more generous than casinos on newer ships.
No Bonus Round
*****************
As part of our research we chose to play $100 on a single slot machine, betting between $0.50 and $1.00 per spin. This equated to somewhere between 100 and 200 spins. The machine had a low volatitily and low jackpot.
We were able to win a few dollars within those 100 to 200 spins, but not once did a bonus round kick in. It is common for bonus rounds to kick in somewhere between every 10 and 20 spins.
Again we may have been exceptionally unlucky, but the unlucky streak does raise some flags.
Low Attendance
*****************
At no point during the sailing was the the casino particularly busy, compared to many of the other cruises that we have been on. When we sailed on Liberty of the Seas in September 2022 the casino was heaving.
The Blackjack Card Counter
*****************************
Finally there is a story about a blackjack player, who said he was counting cards. When the dealer got to the cut card at the end of the shoe he requested to see the rest of the cards in the shoe.
The reason for the request to see the rest of the cards was that based on his count there should have been a lot of picture cards after the cut card and he was confident that they were not there. He wanted to verify this, as he suspected that the casino or dealer was intentially removing high cards from the game, to give the casino a bigger edge.
The casino refused to entertain his request, but they offered him a complimentary cruise and told him to shut up.
Conclusion
As you can see there are several things about our experience at Casino Royale on Odyssey of the Seas that do not sit well or instill confidence in the casino. We hope that there is no dishonesty or cheating by the cruise line or casino, but we call on Royal Caribbean and Casino Royale to be more open and transparent, rather than being dismissive and secretive.
The associated blog is at
localhost:55575/blogs/2023/royal-caribbean-casino-royale-club-something-fishy
Chapters
*********
00:00 Introduction
00:33 Return to Player (RTP)
01:41 Points earned (too low)
02:33 No bonus round
03:05 Low attendance
03:16 Card counting blackjack player
03:51 Conclusion
04:19 Introduction to Cruises with Friends
#cruise #royalcaribbean #royalcaribbeancruises #casinoroyale #casino #odysseyoftheseas

[@Emperor-Wild-Man]

If RTP info is to be public, and Royal Carrib refuses to disclose, then it is indeed "fishy". But it is not all entirely bad, because one can still get "free" cruise from RC, but it just takes longer time (and/or more gambling losses) to acquire the minimum points to redeem for a "free" cruise.

[@justethedj4509]

My wife and I just got back from our first Royal cruise, explorer of the seas. More than 700 spins over 5 days at roulette, 70-80 percent inside number coverage and a table typically 3-5 players or more, they paid out NOONE in the community players for 5 days. Every roll found the lightest covered number 80-90 percent of all spins. I actually gambled through 12,000 or so playing (regular roulette player) and it was the fishiest tables I’ve ever seen. I saw no one winning. Very few community/table wins. It’s something funny with the roulette as well

[@georgegarich252]

As to points earned on Royal all slots, not video poker, get 1 point for $5.00 played. The rtp in most land-based casinos can run from 85% to 99%. There is No button you push to change the pay back. Slots have chips on them, not controlled by buttons. The person that wanted to see cut cards at table must be dreaming. No gaming commission rules, or casino policy requires the cut cards be shown. I have played for4-5 hours and not got a bonus. By the way We are both Gold with MGM and Harrah.

[@RoyalCaribbeanCruiseChronicles]

Too small a sample size to make conclusion on RTP on slots on that cruise. I’ve seen it both ways. Last cruise on Jewel I okayed all day with the same $200. On other cruises I spent $1,000 and got 400-500 points. On a new Wonder of the Seas, I never saw so many jackpots. Nothing is fishy. Dealers don’t cheat.

[@civilwar-xy1cr]

You could keep updating a machine and it could have an infinite life span so there never would be an end of its life to ever show the 96% rtp at.

[@civilwar-xy1cr]

Something fish at all casinos. They simply push a button on a keyboard and make it so you cant win at all. I just did 600 spins and didnt get a single bonus round. If you think they dont do this then I have some bags of garbags in the back if my truck Id like to sell to you

[@milemarker301]

few people in there = picture worth 1k words

[@cruiseswithfriends]

That has been our observation

[@RoyalCaribbeanCruiseChronicles]

You never know from one cruise to the next how many gamblers show up.