Don’t Play at a Casino

Beneath the flashing lights and free cocktails, casinos are rigged to slowly bleed their patrons of their cash. Mathematically inclined minds have been trying to turn the tables on this system for years, but the best strategy is always the same: don’t play.

Casinos provide more than just gambling games. They often offer luxurious hotels, cutting-edge technology, flexible event and entertainment spaces, and delicious restaurants. Their marketing strategies must reflect this broader appeal to attract customers and keep them coming back.

A cosmopolitan casino in the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden opened its doors to European royalty and aristocracy 150 years ago, and it continues to be one of the top luxury casinos in the world. Its red-and-gold poker rooms are decorated in baroque flourishes, and it offers a host of table games. It is also home to an acclaimed restaurant and a state-of-the-art theater.

There are no clocks in a casino because the goal is to get you to lose track of time and spend more money. In addition to dazzling lighting and the joyful sound of slot machines, casinos use scents to create an artificially blissful experience. Some even have a “win” smell that they waft throughout the ventilation system, creating the illusion of a near-miss that keeps players playing.

To maximize profits, a casino needs to know the odds of each game, including its house edge and variance. They hire gaming mathematicians and computer programmers to perform this analysis for them.