Why would anyone go to Las Vegas to gamble when they will lose?

[MrBojangles]

The odds are 99.9 percent that you will lose your money. Why not just invest it in the stock market on something like twitter. At least you have a better chance.

[Doktor Evil]

It's entertainment, like seeing a show or going on a cruise. It's not about making a sound financial decision.

[Mecoa Grunert]

@Dokter Evil yeah, that sounds about right. The only way to "earn" money in Vegas is to open your own casino and that costs millions, if not billions of dollars.

[jonny]

1. 99% do not lose their money. What an exaggeration.
2. It is a form of entertainment.
3. I have seen plenty of people win, I have seen plenty of people get amazingly lucky.

[Seven Out]

The numbers up there, but it's not 99.9%. I'd say 5 in 6 either lose money or break even. Most of the rest win small, maybe enough to cover some to all expenses (which are overpriced and inflated to begin with). Very few win something to brag about.

Regarding what you're saying about the stock market, I agree it's probably the better investment. But where else in the world can you bet a grand and double it in a fraction of a second? Also, you need to factor in other things regarding the stock market. In most cases, you are competing against multimillionaires or overly rich people who do not like making mistakes and have insider information. Plus, the government gets a piece of the income you make through your investments. If you play a casino table game and run hot, all the money is yours and you don't need to feed uncle Sammy. Of course what I just said does not apply to slots.

[Jay P]

Where are you getting your percentage rate from? Are you making this up, which I suspect, or are you getting this from an actual statistical study?

[Scott Z]

Las Vegas has an image that appeals to some people-both Americans and foreigners. If you want to gamble in a casino, most states have them, so there is no need to travel to Las Vegas. A very few people make money by gambling on poker, blackjack, and sports betting. It takes knowledge and discipline to make it.

It also takes knowledge and discipline to invest money, too. And the stock market is far from being perfectly safe: there is a lot of insider trading and automated trading nowadays.