From the Niagara Falls Review:
If you’ve gone to a casino, it’s not a coincidence if you felt drawn in by the flashing lights, ringing bells and the maze of slot machines.
That’s exactly how casino operators want it to be, said Karen Finlay, associate professor at the University of Guelph’s school of Marketing and Consumer Studies.
“It’s the design of the casino,” said Finlay, who has studied the issue of problem gambling for several years.
Finlay and a team of researchers at the university recently unveiled a lab known as ‘Virtual Vegas’ – a 360-degree, 1,700 square foot composite of 17 of the Sin City’s most famous gaming floors. It’s aimed at helping researchers understand what compels people to keep playing even after they know it’s time to go home.