Why Do Casinos Make You Spend More Money?

A casino is a place where you can try your luck at a variety of games that test your skills and your patience. You can also socialize with other players, take in a show or enjoy a meal. You may even win a jackpot and change your life. But the fact remains, casinos are designed to make you spend more money than you have. Every aspect of the environment, from the music to the lights and the physical design, is geared towards getting you to keep playing. And it works.

The house always wins. This is true for any game in which skill is not involved (like poker) and it is absolutely true for those where chance plays a role (like blackjack). The mathematically inclined can even make their own systems for beating the odds, but this is not for everyone. Even professional card counters rarely beat the house in the long run, and even if they did, the amount of money they would have won would be very small.

So what is it about casinos that makes otherwise rational people — who work hard for their income and make reasoned financial decisions on a day-to-day basis — throw hundreds or even thousands of dollars away based on the literal roll of the dice, spin of the wheel, or draw of the cards? What is it that causes them to lose so much money hand over fist, despite the obvious knowledge that they are going to lose?