The "One-Time" Trap: Do Tourists Feel Entitled to Luck Because They Traveled Far?
I was chatting with a couple at the roulette table last night who had flown in from across the country, and they seemed genuinely personally offended that they weren't winning. They kept saying things like, "We didn't come all this way just to hand over our money." It was like they felt the universe owed them a win to justify the plane tickets and hotel costs. I catch myself thinking that way too when I travel—like the effort of the journey should somehow improve my odds. Does anyone else feel that weird sense of entitlement when they’re far from home, or is it just a recipe for going broke?
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It’s a super common psychological trap because we want the "story" of our trip to have a happy ending. When you're a tourist, you view the visit as a special event, so a loss feels like a failure of the vacation itself. Locals don't have that baggage; they know the math doesn't care about your zip code. I was reading a great breakdown of these behaviors at https://bdgovt.info/the-casino-tourist-vs-the-casino-local/ and it really hits home how much harder it is for visitors to walk away. They feel like they have to "make it count" since they won't be back for months. I’ve learned that the best way to enjoy a trip is to separate the travel experience from the gambling results. If you expect the casino to pay for your flight, you're almost always going to leave disappointed and stressed.