“My lucky number is four billion. That doesn't come in real handy when you're gambling. Come on, four billion! Fuck. Seven. Not even close. I need more dice.” Mitch HedbergThis past weekend, my younger sisters and I took our niece on her first trip to a casino. She had recently turned 21, and what was once a proposed trip to Las Vegas turned into an afternoon at the Greektown Casino in Detroit. Not as glamorous, perhaps, but a heck of a lot cheaper.
I have been to casinos before: a riverboat casino in Lake Charles, LA; one of the casinos in Windsor, Ontario (before you needed a passport to cross the border); and a Native American casino east of San Diego. There wasn't a lot of variation in the experiences, and frankly, I have found that casinos aren't that enticing as entertainment prospects. I went this time because it was a fun outing with our niece who is really not allowed to be as old as she is. I did have a good time with the girls, and took only as much money as I was willing to lose. I came home empty handed, but the relatively small amount I took with me lasted for several hours. Those penny and two-penny slots are great for stretching out the dollars. ;-)
While I was at the casino, I figured out why I'm just not that into them. I once took a psychology course called "The Psychology of Judgment and Decision-Making". A good portion of the course was spent on gambling (both casino style and playing the stock market) and what factors into a person's decision to take a risk or not. I have a low tolerance for risk of this sort. At a casino, I tend to focus on the near certainty that I will lose whatever money I have played, rather than on whatever odds I might have of actually winning. I also don't trust that I know enough about poker, blackjack, craps, and other games to play them to whatever advantage I can get. Thus, I stick to the video slots, which frankly get pretty boring after awhile.
The other thing I noticed is the constant level of noise. It's an incessant droning sound, with some *bing* *bing* *bing* thrown in for good measure. You can barely hear yourself think, much less hear the person next to you. The noise discourages interaction even between people who know each other. While the casino was not packed, there were several hundred people there, and barely anyone communicating. I saw husbands and wives, where one looked over the other's shoulder, looking and acting like they hadn't spoken a word to each other in hours. Nobody looks each other in the eye, they just stare at the slot machine screen or at the game table.
It was kind of sad, really.
4 comments:
I feel the same way about casinos. I always end up leaving without my money, but with a massive headache from the noise level and smoke. Like you, I never take more than I'm willing to lose though. :)
Add me to the club. I always tell people that I have a low risk tolerance when it comes to money. I have only been gambling once, and when my $20 was gone then I was done.
As you know, I was almost going to have a similar observational experience, but was relieved of that opportunity at the very last minute.
But I definitely do agree - a few hours in the course of a jam-packed day I don't mind. A whole day full of ringing, buzzing and similar is just not the proverbial winning ticket.
What I find equally depressing is the lack of natural light. And no clocks. You have no idea what time it is or how long you've been there (by design, I know). It's just... unnatural.
Post a Comment