Casinos are found all over the world, but no place features them more prominently than Las Vegas. You'll even find hundreds of slot machines at McCarran Airport. It's definitely part of the experience when you visit this city.
But if you're intending to visit Las Vegas and strike it big in the casinos, it is likely you'll join the thousands of other such players who leave town disappointed each week.
Vegas' mega-million dollar hotel lobbies and flashy entertainment venues represent significant wealth--and money like that accumulates when the house does well. Most of the time, that's the case.
GoToVegas.com lists odds of winning based on typical rules for common games. Most are under 5 percent.
So be realistic about gambling (here the preferred term is "gaming," a word designed to sanitize the risk and keep you thinking positively) and understand that you are going to lose money much of the time.
This is a budget travel Web site and my aim is to save you money. It might be fairly obvious that I am not a gambler. I'm not the least bit entertained by losing money.
But even the most avid gamblers observe what can be called "The Cardinal Rule of Las Vegas." Here it is: determine how much money you can afford to lose before arrival on the casino floor and stop playing when that money is gone.
For tips on how to play the games better, check out Let's Talk Winning. Also take a look at Playing the Odds from About's Las Vegas for Visitors.
But don't be like the tourist who spends a few hours reading about the Chinese language and then expects to communicate perfectly in Beijing. If you're an inexperienced gambler, understand your limitations.
Architects design casinos to make it easy for you to focus on gambling and nothing else. Many hotel venues are accessible only after a walk through the casino. Parking garages are nearby and usually free of charge. There are no windows in casinos. The wait staff will bring drinks to where you are gambling so you don't have to leave the action for even a moment.
Most casinos have ATMs that work with your credit cards and bank debit cards. You can literally spend every penny to your name and max out your credit cards in a casino. That's why the rule about setting a limit and walking away is so important.
If you find walking away difficult, check out this list of 20 questions from Gamblers Anonymous.
