When you walk into a casino, the lights and music are designed to create a manufactured experience of happiness. The cheery beats and clinking coins of slot machines give patrons an adrenaline rush that keeps them playing and spending money. It’s a perfect marketing tool for the casinos, which can often have more than a few million dollars at stake on any given day.
The sheer amount of money that passes through a casino, both from patrons and to the staff, makes it an environment where cheating and stealing is almost inevitable. To combat these temptations, most casinos spend a large percentage of their budget on security. On the floor, casino employees keep an eye on players to make sure they aren’t palming or marking cards, and pit bosses have a broader view of table games to look for betting patterns that might indicate cheating. Casinos also have elaborate surveillance systems with a high-tech “eye-in-the-sky” that allows security personnel to watch any game at any time.
While these measures are largely successful, the vast majority of casino money is still won by random chance, and many people end up losing more than they win. To help prevent this, it is important to walk around and get acclimated before making any big bets, and avoid drinking too much. But even with the best of intentions, it’s hard to stop gambling once the adrenaline kicks in. That’s why the physical design of casinos, including labyrinth-like walkways lined with enticing slots and curved paths that trick visitors into stopping to play when they were actually on their way to the bathroom or the exit, are carefully designed to lure you in.