The cultural validity of the casino phenomenon has always been a subject of fascination for both the general public and the artistic world. It’s distinct in many ways because it follows a very interesting principle that voluntarily surrenders agency from the hands of a human. Once the bets are off, one is in the hands of destiny.

The aesthetic build-up of what we know as casino culture has had a really interesting arc. It started off in impromptu betting and clandestine gambling dens. As gambling and theological morality started to cool off their fundamental conflict, famous establishments like the Ridotto started to emerge, associating the luxury of Venetian palazzos with gambling.

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Naturally, the mass popularity of gambling in the American State of Nevada has proven to be very important for the propagation of gambling culture and its aesthetic. The USA’s soft power has always been a powerful tool, and mass gambling culture has been yet another case.

As gambling culture has started to entrench itself into popular culture, it was probable that various avenues of human expression would adhere to it. In this article, we will explore this very connection through the lens of street art.

Why Would There Be a Convergence?

There are two methods of considering the convergence of street art and casino culture. More importantly, we will look at the existing development of this relationship in subsequent sections. This one will be all about drawing the lines related to purpose and mutual benefit.

(Street) Art as a magnetic point for marketing considerations

As every other industry is looking to legitimize and attract as wide a public as possible, the gambling industry relies on various cultural motifs and practices. The connection is not necessarily immediate since street art is significantly different from the standard casino aesthetic.

Traditional and online casinos look toward incentivization when creating their main strategies. A little privilege here, a few free spins no deposit offers there, and tactical promotion starts taking those standard turns that define today’s realities.

Art is all about presentation for casinos. We generally associate high art with them because many online casinos have tried to create an idea of luxury and exuberance. However, the emergence of neon lighting and retro-futuristic aesthetics have brought marketing through aesthetics to a pop culture level.

Street art is a bit of an intersection because it blends urban ideation into the fold. A casino, especially an online platform, would want to be as cool as possible and be innovative in its approach. Given the previous statement about high art being the main aesthetic, street art would be a subversive and really captivating method of leverage.

Exposure via casino culture can help market street art

While general street art is mostly public and associated with creative pieces on places like walls and other such structures, its creators are not necessarily incognito. We know about Banksy and other household names whose creations fetch incredibly large numbers in the collector market.

However, a casino relying on original pieces from street artists can benefit from the fact that some of them aren’t even that costly. Contributing to the decoration of a casino through street art can bring some immediate revenue to the artist, but having their creation on the walls and pillars of a casino can attract the attention and interest of casino patrons.

As a result, working for a casino establishment that is open to this kind of aesthetic can be a jumping point for the creator’s work. It can bring exposure and bring about long-term benefits that go beyond the artistic expression that helps a casino create its aesthetic.

Are the Aesthetics of Casino Culture Really Compatible with Street Art?

Now that we know why a casino would want to employ artistic merit in its establishment’s decorum, we need to think about the feasibility of such a partnership. As we’ve alluded to earlier, the connective tissue between street art and casino culture isn’t necessarily strong, but it can be. Let’s look into the ups and downs of this supposed connection:

  • The issue of escapism — street art is a representation of adorning urban environments with artistic expression. In most cases, it tries to bring a counterpoint to the urban decay that we see in so many communities. As a result, it’s often an element of a raw image that accentuates what used to be in that community.

A casino guest often goes to a casino to gamble in order to escape from their reality. That very reality might as well be in a decaying urban setting that features plenty of good and often bad representations of street art. The magic of escapism can disappear very fast, which would not be fantastic for a casino.

  • The idea of underground culture — we often associate underground with the idea of subverting societal norms and their mainstream aesthetic and artistic representations. Choosing to gamble at an establishment whose entire atmosphere feels aesthetically underground can be appealing to those who want to subvert the mainstream representation of a casino.
  • The third-party image — as we will see in the next section of this article, street art can also represent more than just visuals created from scratch. It can also dabble in photography. Casino culture and its aesthetic can be the subjects of artistic expressions associated with this phenomenon – those that explore it.

Examples & Their Artistic Philosophy

To make a reference to what we’ve said about the third-party visuals, the idea of showcasing casino culture through photography is really endearing. It’s something that brings vision to the unmistakable realities of casino culture, its effects on society, and its scions that breathe life into its principles.

Michael Rababy, an American photographer (among other roles in the artistic world) specializing in portraying various realities, created a very interesting perspective. His project, which is a book called ‘CASINOLAND, Tired of Winning,’ is also a visual representation of casino culture in Nevada, New Jersey, and other places where casino culture is prevalent.

The idea behind this project is to showcase real people as a counterpoint to the reality of casinos, gambling, and their interactions. This project is a journey of over 30 years, showcasing people in the midst of the American casino culture.

Naturally, we also see casino culture appear in motion pictures, including well-known cinematic projects like Casino (1995), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), and even Now You See Me (2013).

Conclusion

In closing, this article is all about remembering that street art and casino culture are a clash between urban reality and a land of fantasy that thrives off escapism. It’s a probable connection that is as interesting and fascinating as you can get within our reality.

If you’re familiar with any of these two, you should consider learning more about the other. See if you can draw a line that connects them as well!