I haven’t been to Las Vegas since 1986. They tell me it’s very different now.
One thing is the same. The house always wins.
The first time I walked into a casino and looked around, I realized who had paid for all of it. And I knew that, no matter how much I tried to fool myself into thinking I’d win, I wouldn’t. (And I didn’t.)
You’ll win some. You lose some. Over time, you’ll lose more than you win. Case in point, December 2023 resulted in the biggest haul for the various houses in the history of Nevada, with $1.43 billion. In one month.
February 2024 should beat it. Because tens of thousands of football fans and media will be showing up for a week of trying to win games that are designed, over time, to make you lose.
You’ll have some fun along the way. You’ll get cheap food and free drinks (lots of free drinks, especially while gambling). And if you’re really bad at gambling, they’ll give you a bunch of other free stuff. (If one of the few who are really good at gambling, they’ll try to find a way to kick you out.)
At some level, everyone who goes to Vegas knows it’s going to happen, even if they can delude themselves into thinking they’ll be one of the very few to cash out with a wide smile.
Part of the reality is the basic psychology of gambling. The money you lose isn’t the same as the money you need. (Even if it is.)
When David Letterman once did a week of shows from Las Vegas, he told a joke that went something this like this:
I was walking down the street today. A guy walked up to me and said, “My wife needs an operation. Can you give me some money to pay for it?”
I said to him, “I’d love to help you out. But how do I know you won’t take this money and gamble with it?”
And the guy said, “Oh, I’ve got gambling money.”
Everyone who goes to Vegas for the Super Bowl will have gambling money. And most of them will lose it.
Including me. And I’m still looking forward to it.
Because you never really know when the dice will get hot.
