From twinkly lights to endless rows of glowing slot machines, casinos seem like fantasy worlds for gamblers. But what most players don’t realize is that everything about a casino—from design to psychology—is designed to make them spend more money and crave coming back, even though the house always wins.
A modern slot machine is relatively simple to play: players insert currency, decide on a bet amount, press spin, and hope for the best. But behind the sleek digital screen, a much more sophisticated system is at work. The machine constantly analyzes a player’s behavior to determine how many times they have touched the spin button, and how quickly they’ve done so. It then adjusts the odds to match those patterns, and uses a series of algorithms to ensure that players lose as much as possible over time.
Another way that casinos make money is by raising prices all over the property. The casino might charge for things that used to be free (parking, hotel amenities, early check-in) or raise the minimum bet on table games. It might also increase the hold percentage on slot machines, or have stricter game rules that succeed in taking a player’s money more quickly.
Casino is a fascinating look at the mob’s relationship with Vegas, and the ways that gambling corporations took over a desert city that was minting billions. But it’s not just a Mafia movie, and it doesn’t fall into the trap of glorifying criminal life like Goodfellas or Mean Streets.