On a Roll

A tried and true friend is good to have, but casino managers would rather have their dice that way.

So in Las Vegas are found state-regulated factories where nice, square and--most especially--honest dice are whipped up for the craps tables along the Strip.

The process is painstaking and exact, as observed recently by a visitor to one of the three, Langworthy & Co.

The firm has been in the business 37 years, according to Tony Andreano, a longtime employee who bought the firm last year.

The company also makes gambling chips and other equipment for commercial and home gambling, except slot machines (“too regulated,” Andreano says).

Asked if casinos have much trouble with counterfeiting, Andreano said that from time to time, casinos send over an item that they want to check out as possibly of suspicious origin.

The industry keeps close watch on bogus articles, which could cost them dearly in the hands of cheaters, and the state pulls surprise inspections at casinos to measure the trueness of dice in play.

How much do the casinos pay for a pair of dice?

About $2.50 a pair, Andreano says.

And how long do they last on a craps table?

“It depends . . . maybe a couple hours, maybe 20 minutes, maybe one roll. If one goes off the table, they take it out. Maybe a gambler is on a bad roll and wants new dice. Maybe the house will, say, decide to get rid of a set.”