According to popular information, gambling houses around the world are using a clever trick to make visitors forget about time. We checked if this is true.

This is what John Maeda writes in his book “Laws of simplicity. Design. Technologies. Business. Life": “Las Vegas casinos have invented a very clever trick. There are no clocks, no windows, you can't even guess what time it is. In gambling establishments, the sense of time disappears completely, time flies unnoticed, it seems that you still have plenty of it. Give them free rein, the casino owners did something with the clients’ cell phones, if only they would completely lose the concept of time and sit with them until their wallets were completely emptied.”

The information is confirmed by the famous journalist and writer Vitaly Korotich in book about his trip to the USA. You can read about an interesting fact on such resources as RIA Novosti, "Arguments and Facts", "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", "Faktrum", MirFactov, BBC. In the latter case, a third technique is also reported - the casino’s architecture supposedly resembles a labyrinth: “You get lost because that’s exactly how it’s designed. And then sit on a chair at the machine or blackjack table, and voila - spend money!

And although many sources, including those registered in the gambling capital of Las Vegas, provide extensive and quite convincing arguments in favor of the absence of windows and clocks in casinos, it is important to understand how this information corresponds to the realities of the present time. After all, information about such a policy of casino owners is mentioned even in sources 1960s, shortly after the beginning of the gambling boom in this American city.

Here's what's about it speaks Director of the Center for the Study of Gambling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, David Schwartz: “This is fiction. Many casinos have windows so you can look out. Wynn Las Vegas is an example of a venue that has a lot of natural light. As for clocks, you rarely see them in casinos, but how many restaurants, cinemas, museums or churches do you know with a clock on the wall? The same goes for casinos.”

Similar information about the same Las Vegas casino can be found on another website. But the general manager of an establishment in Indiana gives another argument lack of windows in many similar interiors. According to him, there is no “conspiracy theory” - it would just be sunlight casting glare on cards and slot machines. And every client has his own watch (on his wrist or on his phone), and casino owners are well aware of this. In fact, the point is not in leaving the establishment early, but in maximum concentration, focusing players on the process, says another source.

Architects also make their contribution to debunking the myth of the “bunker” design of casinos. Ethan Nelson, president of a firm that designs dozens of casinos every year, declares, that today's trends are energy efficiency and greater variety of resort experiences. And he gives examples of projects where all this was solved using a variety of windows. That a casino without windows and clocks is an outdated design, stated back in 2005, Steve Wynn, who played a key role in the resurgence of Las Vegas in the 90s.

As for casinos outside the USA, for example, in the UK such a practice would be completely impossible: since 2007, law, according to which casino visitors should be aware at any time of how much time and money they spent.

In addition, the aforementioned David Schwartz dispels another popular myth with a similar motivation: supposedly, increased amounts of oxygen are supplied to casinos through air conditioning systems specifically so that players lose drowsiness and continue to play as long as possible. “This is a room where people smoke. Smoking in an oxygen-saturated room is prohibited. This is something that will never happen,” Schwartz assures. Moreover, supplying oxygen to the premises in this way forbidden in all states. And sometimes Las Vegas Gaming Commission officials inspect local establishments for such violations.

Thus, although many casinos still do not have windows or clocks, according to the press, the concept has fallen out of fashion and is not widely practiced. In addition, many experts deny the fact of misleading the visitor as the reason for this practice.