Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money on an event with uncertain outcomes with intent to win additional money.

GTA Vice City

The ability to wager money is first introduced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, when the player must pay entrance fees for Vice Street Racer events, with a set limit on how much he or she can bet, and perform well enough in the races to break even.

GTA San Andreas

In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, more activities were available that the player can take part in to wager money on in order to gain more money if the player wins the activity or lose the money wagered if the player loses the activity. With its expansion in GTA San Andreas the chances of losing/winning are more probable.

Gambling skill

In GTA San Andreas, the player can increase the gambling skill of Carl Johnson by spending money at the casinos. The skill increases by 1 for every $100 spent up to a maximum skill of 1000. There are certain activities that bars the player from playing due to a low gambling skill, such as the Wheel of Fortune, which only allows those who could at least wager a maximum of $10,000.

Percentage	Skill level	Max wager or borrow
N/A	N/A	$100
0	Gambler	$1,000
1	Professional	$10,000
10	Hi-roller	$100,000
100	Whale	$1,000,000

Debt

When the player runs out of money (having $0), the player can borrow money from the casino when playing at a casino table (an amount of borrowed money corresponds with the player's wager on the table), leading to a negative money value. The amount allowed to borrow in each round at the table is based in how high the gambling skill is; the higher the skill the more is allowed to borrow. When having -$500 or less, borrowing money puts the player in "debt", resulting in the player receiving phone calls from the loaner about returning their money once the player leaves a casino.

If the player fails to repay their debt after a certain amount of time, the player will be persistently attacked by Micro SMGs and AKs-armed gunmen in a Vincent whenever they are in Las Venturas, until they repay their debt. The more money borrowed from the casino, the more gunmen will be sent after the player.

Increase Skill

Gambling skill can be increased without losing any money by the following method: the player must head into a casino in Las Venturas and head to a roulette table. They should choose the highest wager possible for their skill level. Next, half of the maximum wager should be bet on red, and half on black (e.g. $5,000 on red, $5,000 on black for a $10,000 wager). When the player plays the game of roulette, the outcome is a 'no win' situation and all of the money is returned to the player.

However, gambling skill will still be increased since the player has 'spent' the money. Keep repeating this method and one will end up with the same amount of money, and a maximum gambling skill in no time.

Gambling Activities

GTA Vice City

Name	Image	Description
Vice Street Racer		Vice Street Racer is a street/drag race side mission provided by A+B Auto. The races become available after the player purchases the Sunshine Autos car showroom.

GTA San Andreas

Casino-based

Name	Image	Description
Blackjack		In-game the actual rules of blackjack apply except for splitting. The goal is to get as close to 21 as the player possibly can, without going over. The player and the dealer each start out with two cards. After the cards are dealt the player is given the choice to either hit (receive new cards), double (which doubles the bet and gives the players one more card only), or stand (stay with the cards in their hands). Receiving five cards without going over 21 automatically makes the player stand. If the player has two cards that are identical (for example 2 eights), the player may split, which allows the player to split the hand into two hands with 1 eight each. If the player goes over 21 then they are bust. Acquiring a blackjack (an ace, and a card equivalent to 10) will give the player with a payout of 2-1, but if the casino also has a blackjack the player only gets 1-1. Also a push can occur, when both the player and the casino have the same total and the player gets their money back.
Roulette		Rules for roulette are similar to the real version. Players place chips on numbers, as well as number sets, number pairs, odds or evens and red or black. If the ball lands on the number, number set, pair, or color they chose, the player wins a payoff on their money. Each choice pays a different multiple based on how many numbers were picked with a single number having the highest payoff at 35 to 1 (36x) Bet Pays Odd/Even, Red/Black, 1-18/19-36 1 to 1 (2x) 1st 12/2nd 12/3rd 12, 1st Column/2nd Column/3rd Column 2 to 1 (3x) Set of 6 numbers 5 to 1 (6x) Set of 4 numbers 8 to 1 (9x) Set of 2 numbers 17 to 1 (18x) Single number 35 to 1 (36x)
Slot machines		Slot machines are another source of gambling. While pretty standard, the slot machines can give the player a wide range of payouts from a small amount to a substantial amount. The price to play a certain machine can vary. The amount of money the player wins depends on the symbols. Playing these can also increase the gambling skill.
Video poker		Video poker follows conventional poker rules where the player's winning is dependent on the final combination of cards they have in hand. When the player begins a round, they are given a set of five cards, which they can choose to retain ("hold") for the second deal; cards that are not held will be exchanged with other cards in the second deal. If the final set of five cards contains any poker hands listed on the screen, the player receives a win consisting of the wager multiplied (between 1 to 4000) depending on the poker hand and the amount wagered.
Wheel of Fortune		As in roulette, one puts money on spots on a board. However, here, the player can only pick six spots- $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, and the star. The payout for each space is shown by the dollar amount (the star is $40) - for example, betting $1 on the $20 spot will give $20 if the player wins. Once done betting, the wheel will be spun. If the wheel lands on the space bet on, the player will win. If not, the player loses.
Craps (cut)		The Craps table was deleted in the released version of GTA San Andreas but the table and the dice are still in the game files (complete with models and textures) but the dice are bigger than usual but the script may resize it.
Texas Holdem Poker (cut)		This gambling game was deleted from the game but the table and the chips are still in the game files (with textures and models, but the table is not solid and the chips are bigger like the dice in the Craps game). This game never appeared in any GTA game, however, it can be played in Red Dead Redemption.

Miscellaneous

Name	Image	Description
Pool		In GTA San Andreas, CJ can challenge any person at a bar who is holding a pool cue to a game of pool. A wager can be placed, with maximum wager being $1000. CJ then begins to play pool with him. If CJ wins the game, he wins whatever he'd wagered at the beginning of the game. If he loses or quits, he loses the money he wagered. In any instance, CJ gets a pool cue, which replaces whatever melee weapon he was previously carrying.
Inside Track		Inside Track is a betting shop for thoroughbred horse races. Inside Track Betting (ITB) machines line the walls of these establishments, the player can bet money on horse races.
Lowrider Challenge		The Lowrider Challenge is a rhythm-based side mission in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It is unlocked after completing the mission Cesar Vialpando, the challenge involves pushing the right analogue stick of a controller or directional keys of a keyboard in the directions prompted, making the car hop in that direction. The player can also bet up to $1,000 against the opponent, who is a member of the Varrios Los Aztecas gang.

GTA Chinatown Wars

Name	Image	Description
Scratch Cards	File:Imrichscratch.PNG	Scratch cards (also called a scratch off, scratch ticket, scratcher, scratchie, scratch-it, scratch game, scratch-and-win or instant game) are available for purchase with the posibility of winning anything from money to food (health) and weapons. However, due to scratch cards having a minimum prize that is worth the buying prize of a scratch card, there is generally no significant drawback buying scratch cards.

GTA The Lost and Damned

Name	Image	Description
Hi-Lo		The basic objective of the game is to guess whether the next card dealt will be of a higher or lower value than the card on the table. Each player takes it in turn to guess. If their guess is correct, they stay in the game and the next player along the table takes their turn. If a player guesses incorrectly, they are removed from the game until the next round. The last player left after all others have guessed incorrectly and thus been excluded is the winner, and takes the pot - $40. It should be noted that in this game, Aces are low.
Arm Wrestling		The activity is basically a wager-based minigame in which the player is required compete against a computer controlled opponent for two or three rounds. The player must successfully win two rounds in order to win wholly; if the player loses in the first or second round, the game is allowed to be extended to a third round. During a round of arm wrestling, the player needs to rapidly move the right thumb stick from left to right for console versions or rapidly move the mouse around for the PC version to win; the tougher the opponent, the more rapidly the player is required to move the thumb stick or mouse.

GTA The Ballad of Gay Tony

Name	Image	Description
L.C. Cage Fighters	File:LCcage.JPG	While spectating, bets can be placed on the winner.

GTA V

Name	Image	Description
Hao Street Races		The first race is presented to the player by Hao, during the Strangers and Freaks mission, Shift Work. After completing the mission, a new race will be unlocked and Franklin must continue to win the races in order to proceed to the next one. There are a total of five races in the series, and are only accessible between 20:00 and 05:00 hours. The player has to pay an entry fee, which varies depending on the race. However, winning the race gives a potential reward, which corresponds to the entry fee multiplied by 4.5.

GTA Online

Template:Next-Gen

Name	Image	Description
Races		In GTA Online races, it is possible to place bets before starting the race, the bets placed will only be confirmed when enough bets have been placed. The money the player bet on themselves can be won back and doubled if they win. One can also place bets on other players, directly competing them, or betting that they will win against all other players.
Spin to Win Roulette		Spin to Win Roulette can be considered as a gambling method, as it may award the player with money. However, it is mostly focused for the Arena War career, along with power-ups to intercept the remaining players.
Three Card Poker		In-game, the actual rules of Three Card Poker apply. The player starts placing an "Ante" bet to receive a hand of three cards to play against the dealer. A "Pair Plus" bet can be optionally placed for a "Pair" or higher hand. The "Play" bet must be equal to the Ante bet to compare their hand with the Dealer's. By folding the hand, it forfeits the "Ante" bet. The Dealer must play a Queen High or better to compare their hand with the player. Otherwise, the play wagers do not take effect and the Ante bet is paid 1 to 1.
Blackjack		In-game, the actual rules of Blackjack apply, except for splitting. The goal is to get as close to 21 as the player possibly can, without going over. The player and the dealer each start out with two cards. After the cards are dealt, the player is given the choice to either hit (receive new cards), double (which doubles the bet and gives the players only one more card), or stand (stay with the cards in their hands). Receiving five cards without going over 21 automatically makes the player stand. If the player has two cards that are identical (for example 2 eights), the player may split, which allows the player to split the hand into two hands with 1 eight each. If the player goes over 21, then they are bust. Acquiring a blackjack (an ace and a card equivalent to 10) will give the player with a payout of 2-1, but if the casino also has a blackjack, the player only gets 1-1. Also, a push can occur when both the player and the casino have the same total and the player gets their money back.
Roulette		Rules for roulette are similar to the real version, but following the American-style layout, which includes the double zero (00). Players place chips on numbers, as well as number sets, number pairs, odds or evens, and red or black. If the ball lands on the number, number set, pair, or color they chose, the player wins a payoff on their money. Each choice pays a different multiple based on how many numbers were picked, with a single number having the highest payoff at 35 to 1 (36x). Bet Pays Odd/Even, Red/Black, 1-18/19-36 1 to 1 (2x) 1st 12/2nd 12/3rd 12, 1st Column/2nd Column/3rd Column 2 to 1 (3x) Set of 6 numbers 5 to 1 (6x) Set of 4 numbers 8 to 1 (9x) Set of 2 numbers 17 to 1 (18x) Single number 35 to 1 (36x)
Slot Machines		Slot machines are another source of gambling. While rather standard, the slot machines can give the player a wide range of payouts from a small amount to a substantial one. The price to play a certain machine can vary. The amount of money the player wins depends on the symbols. Playing these can also increase the gambling skill.
Inside Track		Inside Track is a betting area for thoroughbred horse races. Inside Track Betting (ITB) machines line the room; the player can bet money on horse races. Players can participate in solo races or in main events against other players, but payouts do not vary between the two types.
Lucky Wheel		The Lucky Wheel is the most straightforward gambling method available at the casino. The player simply needs to spin the wheel and what is marked on the arrow on the top side is awarded to the player. Unlike most gambling games, players can win an assortment of prizes, ranging from Money and Chips to clothing items, discounts, and a mystery prize, with the "highest" prize being the vehicle from the podium. The Lucky Wheel can be used once per real-life day and has a cooldown of 24 hours (meaning the player has to return at the same hour they used the wheel before for the next attempt). Prize Description RP (5 in 20) A fair amount of reputation points (2,500 - 5,000 - 7,500 - 10,000 - 15,000). Money (4 in 20) A fair amount of cash ($20,000 - $30,000 - $40,000 - $50,000) Chips (4 in 20) A small amount of chips (10,000 - 15,000 - 20,000 - 25,000) Clothing (4 in 20) Any clothing piece from the casino store. Mystery* (1 in 20) A random selection of prizes ranging from money to vehicles. Vehicle Discount (1 in 20) A limited-time 10% discount on a random vehicle from the website. Podium Vehicle** (1 in 20) The podium vehicle. Players may need to select the property where they want to store it in.

* The mystery reward follows a limited range of items with a variable probability based on the category of the item, meaning that winning a specific vehicle can be extremely rare overall.

** The podium vehicle can be sold, but its value is notably inferior compared to a purchased example. If the player has already received the weekly podium vehicle in a previous spin, the player will be rewarded 20,000 RP instead.

Notable gamblers

• GTA Online Protagonist
• Roman Bellic
• Vladimir Glebov
• Jim Fitzgerald
• Jon Gravelli
• Kov-Kov
• Terry Thorpe
• Trevor Philips (seen being kicked out of a Casino in a Switch Scene)
• "Cocksure" Chris Cummings
• "Dangerous" Derrick Thornton
• Jennifer Zelinski
• Butch Roberts
• Terry Kim
• Steve "Buffet Car" Jabowitz
• Phil "Deadman" Davidson