Imagine walking into the Luxor, Mohegan Sun or Tropicana, your wallet stuffed with cash and your hopes for some enjoyable gaming and maybe a couple rounds of drinks high. Hours later, you have no idea what time it is, how many drinks you’ve consumed or how much money has slipped through your fingers. You are not alone, as casino owners are masters of psychological tricks that make it hard for gamblers to walk away from their tables and machines. Casinos use sounds, lights and even the design of their spaces to keep you gambling, Business Insider reports.

Gambling, in some form or another, has been part of human society for millennia. Evidence of betting using wooden blocks dates back to 2300 BC, dice appeared around 500 AD and card games like poker entered the scene in the early 1600s. The games have never been a surefire way to win big, however, as the house always has an advantage, and in the long run loses more than it wins.

Whether or not casinos are good for the economy is difficult to say, but they can help boost regional spending in hospitality and leisure activities. Local residents may also benefit from increased job opportunities that are created when a new casino opens. However, it is important to remember that the jobs created at a casino are not from the original local population, so the promised decreased unemployment rate for the existing population might not be realized.