There are undoubtedly some strange urban legends that players like to share when they play offline and online casino games. One of the most popular of these myths is that casinos will pump oxygen into their casinos to help keep players awake. But is this true? We investigate: Do casinos pump oxygen into their venues? Can you be arrested for card counting? (And some other brick-and-mortar casino myths.)
Casinos Pump Oxygen Into Their Venues
True or false: False
There is evidence to support the idea that extra oxygen can help an individual feel more alert, especially if they are suffering from a chronic respiratory disease or another condition that lowers oxygen levels.
Unfortunately, there isn’t evidence to suggest that casinos pump extra oxygen into their venues to help players feel more alert, particularly if they’ve been gambling for a long time and haven’t slept well.
Not only is there no evidence that casinos do this, it is actually illegal to do so. It’s illegal because there are many risks associated with raising the oxygen level in an environment. These risks include making the environment a fire hazard, as open flames are more dangerous in highly oxygenated spaces. There would also be the possibility of oxygen toxicity in casino guests, which is what happens when people have prolonged exposure to higher levels of oxygen.
The only two things done to casino air are that it is filtered and fresh air from the outside is brought into the building. This is especially important in casinos that still allow smoking indoors. This is done to ensure that the air quality is maintained at a particular level suitable for visitors to the casino. The exact rules that define indoor air quality, or IAQ, will vary from state to state as each sets its own indoor air quality laws and policies.
Now that you understand why this myth is false, you may wonder how the rumor started. This myth is believed to come from the 1978 book “Fools Die” by Mario Puzo, the author of “The Godfather.” In this work of fiction, a casino owner has extra oxygen pumped into his casino to keep people gambling for longer. This is undoubtedly an interesting idea for a casino story, but ultimately, it’s simply not true.
You Can Be Arrested for Card Counting?
True or false: False
There are rumors that if you are caught counting cards when playing blackjack, you will be arrested. The reality is that it is not illegal to count cards as long as you are not using an external device or assistance from other people.
However, this isn’t to say there isn’t some punishment for making use of this skill. Depending on which state you’re in, a casino may decide to ban you or restrict your play to other games if they suspect you are counting cards.
Dealers Will Rig Games if You’re Winning Too Much
True or false: False
Dealers do not rig games at reputable casinos that are properly licensed and audited. The fact is that casinos don’t need to rig games because the games are always weighted in their favor. The concept of house edge exists because the casino will, in the long run, always make a profit off of you. With this in mind, it’s simply too risky for a legitimate casino to encourage their dealers to engage in this behavior as it could result in legal consequences, not to mention reputational damage for the business.
There Are No Skills That Can Help You Win at Casino Games
True or false: It depends
It’s generally true that casino games are games of chance. There is always an element of luck that could affect the outcome of a gambling game, regardless of whether you’re playing against a dealer, player or machine. This is very different from games like chess, where a player can study and practice and doing so will have a tangible effect on the result of a game.
However, this is not to say that there aren’t casino games with an element of skill. For example, blackjack and poker are two games where you can develop specific techniques that improve your overall results. If we look at blackjack, a player can learn card counting to improve their odds of winning. With poker, a player can learn how their position at the table affects how they wager and the strength of specific opening hand card combinations. What’s more, they can learn several other skills to improve their odds of winning a game.
Betting Systems Can Improve Your Wins (or at Least Reduce Your Losses)
True or false: False
Many betting systems like to claim that they will help you improve your wins or, at the very least, reduce your losses if you follow the steps that they outline. Unfortunately, this is not true for any game with a house edge. It is simply mathematically impossible for these systems to alter the odds of a game so that you are able to win more than the game statistically allows.
Casinos Alter the Environment Using Certain Techniques To Affect Your Psychology
True or false: True
While many of the myths and legends we’ve looked at are false or situationally dependent at best, it’s true that casinos do alter the environment to encourage you to stay and play. These are some of the “tricks” that casinos use to lengthen your visit to a casino.
Casinos Offer Free Drinks and Other Services
What better way for a casino to make a visitor feel special and encourage them to stay than with free things? Whether it’s drinks, snacks or even a night at the casino, casinos will often go out of their way to reward people, regardless of whether they are casino regulars or are visiting for the first time, since this will either encourage a player to stay for longer or to come back and visit again.
Certain Colors, Lights, Sounds and Smells Are Used To Shift Your Mood Subtly
Casino operators know that they can help a player have fun or encourage them to stay using certain colors, lights, sounds and smells.
For example, red is often associated with passion, while blue often has a calming effect on people. It’s this understanding of color theory and other visual psychological triggers that have helped casino operators tweak the lights and colors in a casino room to ensure people are having a great time and are excited.
Specific scents are also used to make people feel a certain way when they visit a casino. ScentBridge, a company specializing in scents, details how scents can alter a player’s mood in their article “The Art & Science of Scent in Casinos.” They also link to a study that shows how casinos with specific positive smells had a 45% increase in returning players, which is undoubtedly a behavior that casinos want to encourage.
Casino Rooms Are Generally Kept at a Lower Temperature
If you’ve ever felt a bit chilly in a casino, it’s not just you. Casinos generally lower the temperature slightly in most of their rooms to ensure players are more alert so that they stay awake and focused. Do casinos pump oxygen into their venues to keep players awake? Definitely not. But they do pump up the aircon!
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