What is the namegiven to 'fortune telling' by playing or tarot cards?
Fortune-telling tea leaves in a cup), cartomancy (fortune telling with cards), tarot reading, crystallomancy (reading of a crystal sphere), and chiromancy (palmistry, reading of the palms). The last three have traditional associations in the popular mind with the Roma and Sinti people (often called "gypsies"). Another form of fortune telling, sometimes called "reading" or "spiritual consultation", does not rely on specific devices or methods, but rather the practitioner gives the client advice and predictions which are said to have come from spirits or in visions. Western fortune tellers typically attempt predictions on matters such as future romantic, financial, and childbearing prospects.
Fortune telling fraud fit the Chinese folk religion. In Florida, a tarot card reader is facing trial for allegedly fleecing romance writer Jude Deveraux out of more than 25 million dollars. A desire to protect people from this scam has been one argument made to justify legislation that makes fortune telling a crime. A New York State statute condemns a person who "claims or pretends" to "influence or affect evil spirits or curses" in its prohibition of fortune telling, while letting a person "who engages in the aforedescribed conduct as part of a show or exhibition solely for the purpose of entertainment or