I've been in a few casinos over the last few years (I go with a friend just to have the existential experience, we have yet to play anything, but we then try ou

I've been in a few casinos over the last few years (I go with a friend just to have the existential experience, we have yet to play anything, but we then try out their buffet), what strikes me is how much and how little they have changed from what I remember from the few I've been to as a kid or seen in movies. The staple slot machines are still there, they take up most of the floor space, but they're the most depressing. They don't even have physical levers, it's all just repeatedly pressing a button. No coins, everything's on a card now. They all look pretty much the same. There were like 20 different wolf-themed slots. The game variety is so small in terms of objectives and what you can control (or have the illusion of control anyway), the effects even when you win are so dull (many pinball games have a much more exciting "Multiball!" announcement) -- again no spitting out a bunch of coins -- how do people get addicted to that, especially when they're usually losing money? If people claim it's for fun and don't expect to win (as rationally they shouldn't against the house), why don't they just buy an actual game, or download any of the free ones, for a console, phone, or PC, and derive many more hours of entertainment for a much lower dollar investment? If people do it just to enable fantasies of striking it rich, why don't lotto tickets adequately fill that niche? Fortunately casino buffets are generally good enough that I can enjoy the food and put aside such thoughts.