Underneath the flashing lights and free drinks, casinos are built on a bedrock of maths designed to slowly bleed their patrons of cash. The mathematically inclined have tried for years to turn this rigged system to their advantage, using advanced strategies and knowledge of probability and game theory.

Casino is a word that conjures up images of glamorous gaming dens where the rich and famous come to roll the dice and try their luck with lady luck smiling down on them. The reality is much different, however. The truth is that a casino is not for the average person and it can be very easy to spend more than you can afford to lose.

To encourage gambling, casinos often offer big bettors extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, transportation and elegant living quarters. Even the less-affluent players are offered reduced-fare transportation, hotel rooms and a wide range of free drinks and cigarettes while they gamble. All this adds up to a false sense of possibility that can keep you coming back for more.

Besides these financial inducements, casinos also use other means to keep you in the casino, including the smell of perfumed oils, which are wafted through the ventilation systems. This and the fact that the casino pays no attention to time (except when it’s trying to rip off your credit card) create a manufactured sense of blissfulness, making you want to keep playing.