How Casinos Encourage Excessive Gambling

Casino

It’s happened to all of us: You stride into a casino, wallet filled with cash, and a plan for a few hours of fun gaming and a couple rounds of drinks. But hours later, you’re sitting at the ATM, wondering where all your money went. The answer is simple: the house always wins. But how do casinos trick people into throwing away their hard-earned cash? They use sounds, lights, and physical design to create an environment that’s both welcoming and hard to step away from.

While many movies glorify the opulence of Las Vegas and show the glamour of gambling, Scorsese’s Casino is different. It reveals the dark side of the city’s history, laying bare its ties to organized crime and political corruption. Its stars, De Niro and Sharon Stone, make for a dynamic duo, and Joe Pesci’s intimidating Santoro is a force to be reckoned with.

Casinos know that some players are more likely to gamble than others. They recognize these “high rollers” and offer them perks like free spectacular entertainment, transportation, elegant living quarters, and even discounted hotel rooms. The goal is to keep these high-rollers in the casino longer so they’ll bet more and more often.

Another way casinos encourage excessive gambling is by making it difficult to meet basic needs. For example, most casinos don’t have any clocks on their premises to help patrons keep track of time. They also place bathrooms far from gaming areas, so patrons have to walk past more opportunities to press their luck before they can relieve themselves.