AUSTIN, TEXAS: Joe Rogan, popular podcaster and UFC commentator, discussed how casinos have a tendency to predict human behavior with fitness journalist and author Michael Easter during 'JRE' podcast episode #2039.
In the episode, Easter talked about how he discovered the unscrupulous ways in which casinos spend enormous sums of money on research, which eventually leads to an increase in the number of players who develop gambling addictions.
Joe Rogan and Michael Easter's take on Casinos
The two kicked off the discussion with how slot machines, even away from casinos in places like restaurants and gas stations, are never empty. Easter pointed out the machines are never sitting empty, saying, "People are playing them around the clock," despite the fact that "everyone knows the house always wins." Rogan pointed out how it "plays in your dopamine."
Easter then informed Rogan that while he was a journalist trying to find out why individuals get hooked to gambling, he came across a number of notions regarding the negative aspects of casinos held by anti-gambling organizations, most of which he found to be untrue.
"I go into journalist mode and start making calls. The first group of people I call turns out to be dead end. So who I call are people who are effectively anti-gambling researchers and have a very anti-gambling bent."
He said that these researchers claimed that casinos purposefully keep their clocks off. However, he pointed out how places like Costco and most restaurants also do not have clocks, declaring, "It's not normal to have clocks."
He also heard rumors that all slot machine music is in the key of C to "relax people," and that casinos do not have any right angles since this triggers a rational reaction.
Easter arrived at a reasonable conclusion after recognizing that he could refute these arguments with relative ease. He decided to speak with individuals who were interested in encouraging people to begin or continue gambling rather than those who seek to outlaw it.
Easter claimed that there is a state-of-the-art casino outside of Las Vegas that is remarkably closed to the general public. This casino exists only to research human behavior.
Evidently taken aback by this assertion, Rogan inquired about the source of money for such a complex endeavor, to which Easter replied with 73 distinct companies, ranging from gambling companies to tech giants. If Easter's allegations are accurate, this encompasses IT corporations that rank among the Fortune 500.
Internet reacts to Michael Easter's take on casinos on 'JRE'
There were many people who commented on the video and shared their views. A user from the gambling industry wrote, "I worked at a casino for 3 years and only ever watched one person walk away with a significant amount of money. The amount of people who ruined their lives is numerous."
Another person gave a personal anecdote, recalling, "I was in Vegas a few years back. I had just taken an edible and I was sitting at a slot machine in one of the big casinos. Looking around at all the geriatric people in wheelchairs gambling away, I felt less like an actual person and more like cattle. It was a really surreal experience."
A second person involved in the gambling industry also wrote, "As someone who used to work in gambling industry i can say it is truly horrifying what gambling addiction can reduce a human into."
The person further added, "If im being honest, it can be as bad as worst heroin addict. Self-destructive to the point where you do not even notice the suffering you cause to your family."
Another person who used to work in the industry wrote, "I worked security at a small casino and I enjoyed it. It was mostly the same regulars that were retired and needed something to do. It amazed me that the place never closed its 24/7 & 365 no matter what."
