UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Walk into Mohegan Sun on a Saturday afternoon. Take a few moments to acclimate yourself to the cavernous rooms, the darkness punctuated by colorful lights, the smell of smoke. You'll notice an incessant pinging and humming, underscored by the sort of steady murmur created by vast numbers of people gathered under one, expansive roof. To the uninitiated, it's like entering a foreign country whose customs are baffling, disorienting, intimidating, and noisy as well.
Look carefully and you'll see many people sitting blank-faced in front of slot and video poker machines, repeatedly inserting coins and pushing a button over and over again. Some of these people are seemingly tethered to their machines by a curly cord; in truth, they have inserted their Player's Club cards into the machine, thereby earning credits for every penny they spend, which they can later redeem for meals, shows, even gasoline. They've put the other end of the cord in their pockets so they won't forget their cards when they leave. It appears as if each person is leashed to an electronic pet that is insatiably hungry for coins. Or is it the other way around: the machine as master, man as obsequious servant?
