Howard Riback: An Evening at the Casino
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The Marx brothers did a movie titled “A Night at the Opera” back in 1935. Allow me a column titled “A Night at the Casino” from 2021, only 86 years later but as relevant as ever.
Observations.
Observations are “almost” more fun than playing at the casino and taking in the atmosphere itself.
Almost.
Why are the majority of the casino patrons all smiley, holding their partners hands whilst walking through the entrance doors, giggling as they begin to count their imaginary winnings? I guess because, they are counting their imaginary winnings. The answer was in the question.
As I’ve said many a times, the casino sells dreams, the casino sells hopes and fantasies. Retail and marketing at its absolute finest. Drinks for the tables when things are going well. Tips for the dealers when things are going the players way. Niceties, smiles and laughter when the winning is happening.
But hang on, just hang on. The winning doesn’t always go on. Losing can actually kick in. Not only does losing kick in but losing nearly ALWAYS kick in. And kicks in with a 1-2 punch, in the wallet !
Losing is really what the casino in effect, sells. They sell a few hours of entertainment at a steep price. The average “drop” (loss) for a casino patron in North America, is $190 CDN per visit. average. There is something psychologically acceptable about spending a few hundred dollars on a dinner or on a show. Whether enjoyable or not, you can rationalize that you got your moneys worth.
Gambling away 100s of dollars cannot be rationalized as easily as spent money on a meal. There’s something inherently different about losing money that you had, and for no other reason than to “gamble it away” you’d still have it.
Except for the select few, the words casino, gaming, gambling, and the word betting, have a “dirty” connotation — a “dirty” sound to it. Gambling sounds nefarious. Gambling sounds like an underground word. Gambling may be, and often is, glorified, but society hasn’t really accepted the pass time as a wholesome activity — yet. They are working on it.
Reminds me of Donald Trump winning the American election. Few admitted to voting for him, but miraculously he won. Or Brian Mulroney decades ago here in Canada. No one seemed to had voted for him, but somehow he won. Seems nobody goes to the casino, yet the parking lot is bursting at the seams and Loto Quebec posts billions of dollars in revenues, let alone profits that could keep a dozen countries going for years.
So just what is the allure of being at the casino? The bright lights? The ongoing ringing of the slot machines (that, incidentally, eats about 6 cents of every $1 you dispose of in the machine, regardless how loud the noise is or how colourful the screens may appear)…. the ostentatious carpeting….. the faint smell of booze….the hustling and bustling of good folks walking in all directions….no clocks, no sense of time, few if any windows. It’s a 1-way Disneyesque, adult only bank in disguise.
It’s a wonderful place to people watch. But standing outside the casino, might be a tad cheaper. Either way, it’s a magical place. And we all know- there’s no such thing as magic.
Please, be careful
Howard Riback is a Montréal-based therapist (gambling specialist), law enforcement liaison, IMAQ provincial mediator, and addiction guru. He is known by many as The Cleaner. If it needs fixing, Howard’s your guy. Call 514-659-5621 or email howard@theribackgroup.com
