Casino is a movie that exposes the many twisted layers of corruption that swirled around Las Vegas in the late 90’s. It focuses on the mobster and mafia world of organized crime, and how it affected everything from politicians to unions. It’s an epic drama, but also a true story, and it is based on the book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi.
Most people who go to casinos don’t think about how much of a fantasy world they are entering when they enter the doors and make their bets. However, these glitzy establishments are designed with the psychology of gambling in mind, and their decor is engineered to make you spend more money and crave coming back, even though the house always wins in the end.
To ensure that gamblers stay on their hands, the casino uses “reinforcers.” A reinforcer is a stimulus that increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated. For example, the casino’s music is loud and blaring to keep you focused on your gambling, and they use a variety of other stimuli such as lights and scents to create an environment that makes you feel happy and excited.
Another way to increase the likelihood that you’ll stay on your hands is to provide rewards. If you gamble frequently, you’ll climb up an online casino’s loyalty ladder, and each rung offers more and more rewards. You can receive things like free rooms for the night, meals and gifts.