I had, of course, witnessed hundreds of people in a casino before, mindlessly dropping coins into slot machines. They don't play for money in America. It's true. The big payout is incidental to most gamblers. It's the numbness they're after. Not so in China. No one had that look of glazed stupor often found in American casinos.
The author observes a stark difference between the behavior of gamblers in American casinos and those in China. He notes that in America, many individuals seem to experience a trance-like state while obsessively feeding coins into slot machines. For them, the prospect of winning money appears secondary to the mind-numbing experience they seek.
In contrast, the gamblers in China do not exhibit the same glazed expression often seen in their American counterparts. Instead, they seem more engaged and present, suggesting that their approach to gambling is rooted in a different mindset, one that values the experience over the pursuit of monetary gain. This highlights cultural differences in gambling behaviors between the two regions.
