It’s rare to see a ray of sunlight in a modern-day casino. The vast caverns full of blinking lights and second-hand smoke infamously lack windows to the outside world. Many think it’s intentional, a psychological trick played by the house — which, as they say, always wins. Some have guessed that seeing the light from outside would be an alarm to gamblers that they’ve spent the whole night at the casino. The truth is a little more complicated. Casino operators dismiss the idea that they conspire to disrupt their patrons’ sense of time. As the manager of one casino pointed out, nearly everyone has a cellphone that doubles as a clock. The truth is, the absence of windows is all about design. Most casinos are designed in a maze-like layout that keeps visitors curious about what’s beyond the next corner while also giving them small cubbies in which to be entranced by specific games. The overall intent is to keep the gambler focused on the machines rather than the larger environment. Windows would conflict with that design and represent wasted space that negatively affects potential profit. In addition to distracting gamblers from what’s happening inside the casino, natural light can create an unpleasant glare on playing cards and slot machine screens.
