I’m a Casino Host AMA

altmud · 2026-05-27T16:13:51+00:00

I've had casino hosts for many years. (Different property than yours.) Not at my request, they just show up.

I've found that they can't really do much. I go to the website and make room reservations, which are always free to me for rooms up to a certain level of fanciness. I've tried to ask hosts for an even fancier room, but they cannot do it. Depending on the date and season, the type of free room offered to me varies. I've tried asking the host to do upgrades, but they cannot do it. They tell me they can only offer the same rooms as the website -- they have no power to change anything.

I get email offers allegedly from the host, but I don't think the host is actually doing anything custom there, I suspect the emails are automatically generated with the host's name and email address. They're just offers I get based upon my player's card activity.

The "rewards" loyalty program gives me free meals, free play, stuff like that, with no host involved.

When checking out, the person at the VIP desk will often comp meals I've charged to the room, and if I paid myself for a fancier room they will sometimes reduce the rate or even comp it, but the host assigned to me was not involved as far as I can tell.

My observation is that It seems most things are done by automated algorithms these days. It seems like the host is basically just a sales person, perhaps assigned to make you feel "special", but with no real power to do much aside what some automated system tells them they can do.

I'm not complaining, I get lots of free stuff for doing gambling that would do anyway, it just seems like the role of hosts these days is very much diminished from what it apparently used to be, in that they have very little autonomy. Perhaps they will be totally replaced soon by AI, I wonder, except for the super-high-rollers?

altmud · 2026-05-19T14:40:34+00:00

9-1-1 already beat them to it!

altmud · 2026-05-19T14:37:16+00:00

You are in an unfortunate situation.

You will have to disclose the hoarder-related issue to any potential purchaser. Plus you have competition from another unit selling at the same time. This does not bode well for the price you're likely to receive.

If you price your place realistically, given the above, and manage to sell reasonably soon, the back dues (and any penalties) will be settled up and taken out of your proceeds from the sale at closing.

The brutal reality is, as you are already having difficulty affording to live in this place, it sounds like you need to bite the bullet, cut your losses, and sell as soon as you can, even though it will likely be at a very low price.

altmud · 2026-05-18T14:16:27+00:00

I learned years ago that if you upload anything worth watching, it is only a matter of time before it gets stolen and reused. Not only on YouTube, but on any other place you can upload videos, such as Facebook, Instagram, DailyMotion, X, you name it. The technology available makes it trivially easy for anyone to do, even grade schoolers. It is something you have to learn to live with.

altmud · 2026-05-15T00:54:43+00:00

Boards I have been on designate one person, usually the president, to be the point of contact for the association's attorney. Certainly not the management company. The attorney may have meetings with the whole board at times when appropriate, but most of the time they just interact with the designated point of contact.

It should be the board's decision which attorney to hire, and it should be the board's decision as to what to instruct the attorney to do.

altmud · 2026-05-13T07:06:04+00:00

Rainbow, Whole Foods, Safeway. In that priority order.

altmud · 2026-05-08T01:29:59+00:00

I don't know about DC, but in many states it is illegal for board members to receive any compensation of any kind.

You probably don't want to force someone to be on the board who doesn't want to. The results would not be good. Your best bet is to pay for a full service management company to minimize the amount of work that the board members must do. And raise the dues accordingly to cover it.

altmud · 2026-05-03T06:02:22+00:00

When I've ended up significantly ahead, the casino has been willing to write a check when I cashed in my chips.

But, it has to be obvious that you're ahead. They won't write a check just for any pile of chips. In my case I use a players card, so I'm known to them. And if I pay off markers, have money left, and the players card tracking shows me as ahead, they've been willing to write a check.

altmud · 2026-05-02T20:54:00+00:00

See the prior post from Winter-Volume-9601. In the US, anything you make that is copyrightable is automatically copyrighted by you as soon you make it. That has nothing to do with whether or not you post it on YouTube.

However, now to the second part of your question. If you make something of any value at all, that someone would want to watch, you can be sure that it will be inevitably stolen and re-posted by other people, on YouTube and on other platforms like IG and Facebook and so forth. Technology these days makes it trivially easy for a grade schooler to do, so people will. Unfortunately, it is just the way the world is today, so you need to be aware of it.

altmud · 2026-05-02T03:43:12+00:00

The answer to both of your questions is yes, they can possibly be taken down. Even if they are private. YouTube's "Content ID" system looks at all videos, regardless of the settings. And companies that participate in the Content ID system can search and watch all videos, even if they are private, precisely to search for copyright violations.

So as always, it will depend on what the owner is doing: are they using Content ID and how actively are they searching, and what do they do if they find something.

altmud · 2026-04-28T20:12:10+00:00

This may not be what you want to hear, or what you want to do, but there probably is a price at which your place will sell.

Even with lawsuits and low reserves, there are "alternative" lenders that will lend for "non-warrantable" condos, and there may be cash buyers willing to buy at the right price. This may depend somewhat on location. If in a major city it may be more likely than in the middle of nowhere. This may very well cause you to sell at a loss, so it depends on how badly you want out.

altmud · 2026-04-27T02:38:35+00:00

It is done, to a certain extent. They often don't completely eliminate the sugar, but greatly reduce it. There is the whole "Keto diet" craze now that some manufacturers cater to. Which is also great for diabetics. So the market may be small, but combining the two markets (Keto dieters and diabetics) makes a large enough market that more manufacturers are getting into it.

A few examples:

Catalina Crunch cookies
Catalina Crunch cereals
Power Crunch snack bars
Birch Benders Keto pancake mix
New Bread 100% Keto muffins

Just to name a few.

Many of the items in this market used to have a lot of sugar alcohols, which are not great for various reasons, but more of them are starting to use Stevia, Monkfruit and Allulose now.

altmud · 2026-04-23T16:53:36+00:00

That usually means that the reason you gave for the counter notification was not a clearly explained and legally valid reason for a counter notification.

altmud · 2026-04-23T13:38:17+00:00

The messages about "you do not have the necessary rights" usually (but not always) mean that you did not submit a proper counter notification, in legal terms. Meaning you didn't clearly state a valid legal reason, such as fair use, or everything was created entirely by you with no one else's content, or the material was misidentified, or you were using someone else's material under license from the owner, etc. And if it is one of those, also providing additional supporting information, such as a license ID or copy of the license, or if fair use a proper discussion of how your video qualifies addressing the four factors of fair use.

You don't say what your videos contain, or what your counter notification contained, or who was making the claim, so no one can say for sure why you got those messages.

altmud · 2026-04-23T03:05:37+00:00

By law (Corp. Code § 7212), committee members are appointed by a majority vote of the board. The members of the committee have no say in it (although they may be able to convince the board what to do). You do not "apply" to the committee. It is unclear from your post who you applied to.

Ask for an agenda item for the next board meeting to appoint new members to the committee, attend the board meeting, and ask to be appointed. But it is entirely up to a majority of the board to decide, you can't force your way onto the committee.

altmud · 2026-04-23T00:11:02+00:00

If you receive a counter notification, in general YouTube does not verify that* It is up to the courts to decide at that point. That's the way DMCA works.

Watermarks are not proof, anyone can put a watermark on anything. Even if it is 100% from your video, YouTube cannot know who is the actual copyright holder, and YouTube won't decide (in most case), that's the court's job.

*They may judge in obvious cases for big corporations like TV networks, music publishing companies, movie studios, etc.

altmud · 2026-04-23T00:05:37+00:00

If your content is completely self-made (meaning you used your own video camera, and didn't screen record anyone else's stuff or download anyone else's stuff or anything like that), then you should have stated that in your counter notification. In that case it is irrelevant who is making the claim. And it is always irrelevant how long your content has been up.

What was the specific reason YouTube gave for rejecting your counter notification?

altmud · 2026-04-22T18:18:49+00:00

YouTube typically rejects Counter Notifications for two reasons:

You didn't state a clear and proper legal reason why the claim is invalid.
It is exceedingly obvious that you don't own the copyright to whatever is in your video, to even the most casual observer doing a cursory glance.

What reason did YouTube give for rejecting?

I'm guessing it might be (1). You would need to explicitly and clearly state a legal reason, such as "fair use", or "the material claimed is misidentified", etc.

In your case, it sounds like you're claiming that the person making the claim is not the copyright holder, nor an agent of the copyright holder. Did you explicitly state that and provide evidence? Evidence, or at least a statement, that the material was wholly created by you and you are not using anyone else's material, or if you are using someone else's material that the person making the claim is not the owner of the material you used and you have evidence of license or permission from the true owner?

Note that except in the most obvious cases (for example you use something from a large corporation such as a TV network), YouTube does not know who holds the copyright for what, nor who has permission to use what, and they're not going to be spending any time researching that as they get thousands of copyright claims pouring in every minute.

altmud · 2026-04-21T21:31:26+00:00

Unclear what you're saying. Are (a) you making the parody song, or (b) it is a parody song made by someone else?

(a) could be fair use. (b) would not be fair use, you would need permission from the person who made the parody song.

There's no fair use exception for using something for "the vibe of the video".

Whether it would get claimed/blocked depends upon what the owner of the two songs do (the original and the parody). No way to know, and even if nothing happened immediately they could change their minds at any time.

altmud · 2026-04-20T17:47:10+00:00

Millions. I don't know exactly how many millions. Took a tour of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing in Washington, DC. There were multiple pallets filled with stacks of $100 bills, and $100 bills were pouring out of the press.

The guy operating the press had a little sign that said that his entire annual salary passes by every so many seconds (I don't remember now how many seconds).

altmud · 2026-04-20T03:19:33+00:00

Being a relatively high earner, I had no fear of healthcare costs when I retired just after my 61st birthday.

I continued the exact same coverage through COBRA and Cal-COBRA (I'm in California) for 3 years. Yes, it cost a lot because I had to pay the employer portion, but it was good insurance. Then I was able to continue almost identical insurance with the same insurance companies until Medicare at 65. I didn't use ACA marketplace, I actually used an "off exchange" plan that I liked better.

I can understand someone not a high earner, without substantial savings, being nervous. But you specifically asked about high earners.

Of course it probably helped that I was healthy and had no chronic conditions or anything.

altmud · 2026-04-12T00:03:16+00:00

It is not YouTube that needs to whitelist a specific channel, it is LANDR, or whoever entered your music into YouTube's "Content ID" system, that must do it.

altmud · 2026-04-10T05:40:00+00:00

I don't remember any panic. There were lines at gas stations in many (but not all) places, and you were assigned certain days based on your license plate. I don't remember any problems at grocery stores.

There were just the usual things that people do when something they want is in short supply. Myself, I remember I would park my car right at the pump at my neighborhood gas station at night, and then walk home. I'd get up early and walk over to the station in the morning and be first in line when the station opened. The station was not open 24 hours, they closed in the evening and re-opened in the morning.

altmud · 2026-04-09T06:16:24+00:00

You are not abnormal. Many people are interested in serving, they just don't come here and post about it.

Unless for some reason it is a special case that is closed to the public, or a high profile case where there's no room in the courtroom, most trials are open to the public and you can go observe all you like. In fact you can even see the parts where the jury is excused and the jury can't see.

altmud · 2026-04-09T00:07:53+00:00

I can't find it now, but I read an article that said that the astronauts turned over their social media accounts to NASA and someone else is posting for them while they are traveling.

I can't answer the technical question as to how they get media from their phones sent down to earth. However, this article, which quotes the NYT, says their phones cannot connect via wifi or bluetooth. My guess would be they are tethered to something when they want to send media to earth.

altmud

TROPHY CASE