The Truth Behind Las Vegas Oxygen Myth
When sitting at home playing online baccarat on the computer, it is understandable if you feel the need for some fresh air. Luckily, today, smartphones make it possible to enjoy baccarat while out and about. However, some people may also associate Las Vegas casinos with the idea of fresh air, as they are widely rumored to pump oxygen into the casino floors in order to help players stay alert and play for longer.
For almost half a century, people have been claiming as fact that this is one of the tricks that Vegas casinos use to try to maximize how much their customers are spending. However, Tony Cabot, a respected fellow in gaming law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has stated categorically, “The rumor regarding the pumping of oxygen into casinos is not true.”
Why the Myth Cannot Be True
There are actually a number of very good reasons why this cannot possibly be true, despite the fact it is so widely believed.
To begin with, the average Las Vegas casino will contain more than 1 million cubic liters of air. In order to increase the oxygen level by just one percentage point would require more than 40,000 cubic meters of oxygen gas every day, which would cost the casinos an absolute fortune.
Perhaps more importantly, increasing the oxygen level in the casino would be a significant fire hazard. While the oxygen itself wouldn’t be flammable, air that has a higher oxygen level than the normal 21% would be a fire accelerant, which would make any open flame burn both hotter and faster and at lower temperatures.
This would be in violation of the casinos’ fire insurance policies. If a fire were to break out, then the subsequent investigation would result in serious damage to the casino’s reputation.
Where the Myth Comes From
The source of this myth seems to be no less than Mario Puzo, the renowned author of The Godfather.
In his 1978 novel Fools Die, a casino owner, Alfred Gronevelt, is depicted placing a call at 2 am every day to his building engineer to instruct him “to pump pure oxygen through the casino air-conditioning system to keep the gam¬blers from getting sleepy.”
In the years since the book was published, people have begun to refer to it as fact. It has even happened in mainstream media sources, with an article in the BBC magazine from 2006 stating, “No ordinary air-con for US casinos, where extra oxygen may be pumped in to help players stay alert.”
The article went on to say that such practices would not be allowed in the UK, where the UKGC could impose unlimited fines on a casino that tried to do something similar.
What Casinos Really Do To Keep Players Engaged
While Las Vegas casinos may not be pumping the room full of pure oxygen, they do have a number of other tricks designed to keep players in their seats and spending money.
The layouts of the casino floors are very carefully designed, with luxurious interiors, dim lighting, and vibrant colors, to give players a sense of excitement and exclusivity. Similarly, areas with a high volume of footfall will have the most visually exciting games to draw in players while the less visually striking games are hidden away.
Casinos also have very few clocks on display, if any, and very few windows in order to make it more likely that players lose track of time and keep playing. A huge amount of attention is given to the overall casino ambience. For instance, the background music will change according to the time but will always be chosen to encourage more play. Similarly, particular aromas may be released in order to influence players’ moods.
There is, of course, far more that casinos do to encourage players, from loyalty rewards to free food and drinks and live entertainment. However, you can rest assured that the air you breathe in the casino has not been altered in any way.
