Grand Theft Auto Online's casino is bonkers
The Diamond Casino & Resort is the newest addition to Grand Theft Auto online, and it’s no prop. This isn’t some building that has the word “casino” on it to give the world a more immersive feel. It’s not a place you visit in one or two missions and then never see again. This is a living, breathing business enterprise.
It might be the craziest thing Rockstar’s done so far.
There’s a legit valet who stands outside, ready to park your car as soon as you arrive. Unfortunately, some players have taken to killing this pour soul, just trying to earn enough to digitally get by in the world of Grand Theft Auto online. Shame on you.
There are table games galore. Fancy some roulette? How about a few hands of blackjack? There’s even some three card poker for those who feel confident they can suss out the liars at the table.
Not to mention, you’ll find slot machines all over, offering up the most chill game you can play in a casino. Insert money, pull lever, repeat. Perhaps you’ll even do it as the true casino-goers do it; with a drink in your hand.
And then there’s the horse racing, which takes the cake. Rockstar created virtual horse racing you can watch inside the casino. You can bet on a horse, cheer your pick on when the gates open up, and (hopefully) collect your prize at the end.
The Diamond Casino & Resort isn’t gambling in the sense that you can’t really profit off of your winnings. There’s no way to pull your poker chips out of GTA Online and exchange them for real dough. But you can absolutely bring real-world money into the GTA Online economy to spend on chips. So this latest update comes pretty darn close. If you are interested in online gambling at a legit casino, be sure to read up on reviews from Online Casino Bluebook.
And already, some countries have already blocked the casino features in the update. Players in those particular regions had to find out that the newest content in GTA Online wasn’t available to them by discovering it for themselves, though. Rockstar didn’t offer up any kind of statement on the matter until pressed later on. Those in countries like China and Poland sidled into the casino to buy some chips and simply found they couldn’t. And without chips, the casino is pretty much pointless.
So maybe Rockstar did fly a little too close to the sun with the Diamond Casino & Resort. When countries are already on the war path about EA’s Ultimate Team cards in FIFA and loot boxes in games like Call of Duty, perhaps introducing actual gambling mechanics into a game — and offering chips for purchase — wasn’t going to work out everywhere. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if this shows up on a politician’s poster board presentation at some point. “Look! This game has real gambling in it!”
But until then, and until someone makes moves to actually shut down GTA Online’s newest addition, the Diamond Casino & Resort is live and ready for players of all types. If Lady Luck is on your side, you might even win that ultra-rare Vapid Lost Slamvan everyone’s been going nuts about. But first you’ll have to be lucky enough to live in a place that allows you to play in the first place.