Grand Theft Auto Online has cultivated many mysteries and rumors over the years, and there are a few things fans have wondered more endlessly about than a Casino.
Now, a new rumor and subsequent changes in-game seem to hold some answers.
The Casino has been something of an enigma, and a point of many fake leaks, for years. Since the launch of GTA 5 back in 2013, the imposing building sat unused, closed and with an "Opening Soon" sign in front of it.
Players often took the sign for granted, assuming that a Casino themed DLC with gambling will be added to the game at some point.
This became a prominent theory and a few modders tried to cash in on upvotes with a few fake leaks, such as that one time when the sign in front of the casino allegedly changed. This time, however, it's clear that something is happening.
The first indication was a Tweet from well-known GTA Online informant Tezfunz2, a reliable source of leaks and information gained from data mining. The Tweet reinforces rumors that the next major GTA Online DLC will involve the casino, and that week-by-week we'll be seeing in-game changes to the building itself.
While the source is a reliable one, the rule of thumb is to never fully believe something coming from an unofficial source. However, the leak was followed by actual in-game evidence: there have been visible changes to the casino in-game.
The "Opening Soon" sign from the casino is gone and now the building's entrance is littered with construction equipment. A pallet of wooden beams, a generator, a large debris container and some cones are blocking the building's entrance, indicating that renovation work is being done on the interior.
This change, verified to be in GTA Online and not modded into the PC version of GTA 5, all but confirms the Tezfunz2 Tweet and the rumor itself. While we can't be sure exactly what role the casino will get in this future update, it's clear that something is finally happening.
Players are excited by this news due to the thematic importance of gambling in the world of GTA. However the actual gameplay that will be available in the casino may not be what most expect. With the addition of gambling in Red Dead Online, many assume the same feature will be coming to GTA Online — but we're skeptical.
One very important thing to remember is that while Red Dead Online features two distinct currencies — one premium and one regular — GTA Online only has GTA$. You earn GTA$ through gameplay, and you also can purchase GTA$ for real currency. In Red Dead Online, you can only purchase Gold with real currency, but you cannot gamble with Gold, only with RDO$.
Even so, without the presence of any real money in the gambling process, the game suffered from incompatibilities with some gambling laws in certain countries, rendering Poker unavailable. If Rockstar were to introduce any kind of gambling to GTA Online, we're guessing that the presence of real-money currency would cause a world of problems.
The more likely scenario is that the casino will be a business property, like Bikers businesses, nightclubs and so on. You'll be able to purchase the casino and manage it, supply it and do missions to profit off the gambling taking place off-screen as the venue's owner.
We suspect that players expecting actual gambling will be disappointed. Stay tuned for more info on the upcoming Casino DLC.
