If you’re an online casino player who has ever gone to a real casino, such as a Las Vegas vacation or a trip to Monte Carlo, you’re sure to know the feeling: you walk into a casino to play a few rounds of blackjack or roulette, and the next thing you know you’ve been playing for hours. You’re not tired and you feel like you could stay up all night. What’s going on here? It must be because the casinos are pumping oxygen, right?

ARE CASINOS REALLY PUMPING OXYGEN TO GET YOU TO GAMBLE?

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no. Casinos don’t pump oxygen into their buildings, that’s just a myth. It’s a fun idea, and casinos certainly use a lot of subtle tricks to keep people playing, but pumping a building full of oxygen would be a significant fire hazard and would be very illegal in most places – including Las Vegas.

Where did the casino oxygen rumor come from?

Like many good myths, this particular hoax comes from fiction. Mario Puzo, best known as the author of The Godfather, wrote a book called Fools Die. In the book, the owner of a fictional Las Vegas casino pumped oxygen into the casino floor to keep players awake and playing longer.

Since the novel was published in 1978, rumors have persisted that real casinos use the same trick. Although the casinos are highly air-conditioned and often somewhat cool, the oxygen levels are the same.

It’s a shame that this rumor is so widespread, because the real tricks used by casinos are just as interesting….

MAZE IN LAS VEGAS

If you’ve ever been to a Las Vegas casino, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself lost in one. Don’t worry – it’s not your fault. Casinos are deliberately designed to resemble a maze. You won’t find many straight corridors and simple signage to tell you where each section is, much less a cashier’s cage or exit.

The winding, meandering paths around strategically placed gaming tables and machines are deliberately designed to grab your attention and distract you as you wander. Players looking to cash out their chips, leave the building or simply visit the bathroom have to contend with all sorts of temptations along the way.

You may have also noticed that the carpets in casinos are bright and gaudy. This not only adds to the cluttered layout of the gaming floor, but also makes players less likely to look down at the floor – and much more likely to catch their eye at a jackpot machine.

SOUNDS OF SUCCESS

Casinos are loud. It’s a fact. Anywhere that has hundreds of people playing will be loud, but casinos do everything they can to increase the volume. This not only distracts you from making decisions (especially sensible ones, like “maybe I should go to bed”), but also shows players that this is where the fun is happening.

You’ll also notice that slot machines are incredibly loud when they pay out big winnings. Not only do they often pay out big winnings in coins to cause a huge rumble, but they also make bells and sirens to show everyone that people are actually winning. And if they can, so can you.

LACK OF CLOCKS AND WINDOWS IN CASINOS

This is one of the most common rumors about how casinos keep players in the game, and this one is true. It is very rare to see clocks or time displays in casinos. This makes it easier for players to lose track of time while playing, and thus lose more money.

For the same reason, you won’t see the sun when you enter a casino. Like the removal of clocks, the removal of windows means that players cannot judge the passage of time. The gaming floor remains brightly lit at all hours of the day and night, giving the impression that it’s the right time to be awake and playing regardless of the actual time. Who needs oxygen pumps to keep people awake when you have decor like this?