Inside Casinoland: How Michael Rababy Captured 30 Years of Vegas’s Illusion Factory
Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'Casinoland – Tired of Winning,' by Michael Rababy (published by Kehrer Verlag). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.
Casinos sell dreams—but Michael Rababy photographed the truth.
For 30 years, Michael Rababy took pictures in casinos across America to document the reality behind their bright images. His photographs clearly show how casinos attract people with shiny lights but mostly take their money. Rababy does not gamble himself, which helped him see the casinos honestly instead of believing their promises.
Many people believe casinos will change their lives, but Rababy’s photos show that most dreams end in disappointment.
The title of his book, Casinoland – Tired of Winning, refers directly to Donald Trump’s famous campaign speech where he promised Americans they’d “get tired of winning,” ironically mirroring casinos’ empty promises of endless success. Rababy doesn’t openly speak about politics, but the connection is clear: casinos and Trump both sell dreams that rarely come true. His images are direct, realistic, and show clearly the difference between marketing promises and everyday truth.
His photographs tell the story clearly, without judgment, but the message is strong: casinos make money because people lose money.
The Book
Michael Rababy’s Casinoland – Tired of Winning is a photographic documentary about gambling culture in America, created over 30 years. Rababy contrasts colorful casino lights and flashy promises with exhausted faces and broken dreams, revealing a world built on losing money rather than winning. With sharp, saturated images, Rababy captures casinos as symbols of empty promises, exposing a reality far different from glamorous advertisements. This powerful documentary project explores gambling as a reflection of American society, its illusions, and the hard truths beneath the bright surface. (Kehrer Verlag, Amazon)
Overview of the project: What inspired you to document US American gambling culture for over 30 years, and how does Casinoland – Tired of Winning reflect your perspective on this world?
Growing up in Southern California, Vegas road trips were pretty common. When I would go with friends, I quickly realized even from an early age that I didn’t really enjoy gambling. I don’t really like to lose money and because I don’t really like playing games in general, it didn’t really do it for me.
Plus I had a sense early on that Vegas was built on gambling losses from people who came through and lost. So when I would go to Vegas with friends instead of gambling, I would do what I normally do which is run around with my camera and document my surroundings.
In addition, I pretty much grew up in front of the television, and for years would see these casino commercials promising the world. While doing research for the book, it seems like this is not unique to America.
Having worked in marketing, I realized that the truth is rarely what is sold - which is relevant now in these strange times. A lot of people seem to be buying the snake oil that people tend to be pushing on social media. Similarly, the sizzle that is sold rarely matches what I see when I’m in these environments and that’s ultimately what this book is about.
Has your perspective on the culture of gambling changed over time, or did your early instincts about it hold true?
Well 30 years is a long time, so the environment around gambling has definitely changed. The brilliant Scorsese movie Casino explores the transition from when Las Vegas was ran by the mafia to a more family friendly corporate environment that was much more commercial. When I go to places like Las Vegas, Reno, or Atlantic City, I really enjoy being in the vintage environments from 30 years ago or older - but many of that is changing.
Regarding my attitude toward gambling, yes it's pretty much the same - but for example my brother enjoys playing poker but I wouldn't really call him a gambler. In my statement in the book I mentioned my father gambling but he wasn't really a “gambler”. My feelings came from a few trips to Las Vegas, but when you're young it's amazing how little things really make a lifelong impact.
I still don't like to lose money and I still don't really enjoy playing games. Lately I've come to realize that the person that you are when you're young sometimes holds true throughout your life.
Artistic vision and approach: Your work juxtaposes the bright allure of casinos with the exhaustion and disillusionment of their patrons. How do you capture this duality in your photography?
Many street photographers shoot primarily in black-and-white, but I’ve always been drawn to color. I feel like I see the world in color and not just in color, but I may be living in a more saturated world than other people. Although in photography, you have to be tricky not to oversaturate because it starts to look artificial and in a way cheap. It’s probably because of this that I’m drawn to environments like Las Vegas and other casino towns. Something about the heightened senses, the loud sounds and flashing lights, like a peacock boldly getting the attention of a mate, the casino environment draws in the customer in its own siren song.
Ultimately CASINOLAND - tired of winning is a documentary project contrasting the promise of casino commercials to the reality that I visually translate while I’m there.
Storytelling in photography: The series focuses on the casino as an institution rather than individual gamblers. How do you convey broader societal themes through the lens of these environments?
People have been noting that my project is a documentation of the fall of western civilization - and I could see why people think that. There’s also something to be said of the current state of the American dream, the promises that have been made versus the current reality on the streets for many Americans and people coming to America to chase the American dream. My father grew up in Lebanon with very little and had always dreamed of coming to America. Casinos sell a dream of their own where you can win big and reinvent yourself.
I’m more of an intuitive artist in that I don’t really know why I’m drawn to certain things, but I just follow my heart. I’ve been documenting casinos now for over 30 years and in doing so I could look back and see a pattern, but my journey is not always deliberate.
Was there a specific moment or scene that perfectly encapsulated this contrast for you?
In every casino commercial you see someone gambling at a table and everyone is happy and it absolutely looks like everyone is winning. But logically this cannot be true or casinos would not survive. But these commercials are made for an audience who are consistently told that if they buy this supplement from this guy in a podcast, or this thing they heard about that their life will somehow magically change. So maybe we are programmed throughout our lives to chase a magic potion or a dream that rarely exists.
In the AI commercial that we created for this project, there's a shot of a large group of people gambling and I wanted it to look like a sweat shop. the AI artist Chris Thomes really nailed it. I would say that moment definitely encapsulates the contrast of the dream versus the reality.
Challenges and perseverance: Many of your images were captured covertly and on the fly. What were the greatest challenges in working under these conditions, and how did you overcome them?
Pretty much all of my street photography is “on the fly” and covert because a subject will react to a camera and the photograph will not be the same if one asks for permission. This can be controversial as many people, including myself, respects and values privacy, but the Supreme Court ruled that a person cannot expect privacy in a public space. However, I have noticed that people are more aggressive in the age of social media, probably because they are concerned about where their photo will end up, and in general people do not want to be embarrassed or disrespected.
One great advantage of creating this project over a long period of time is that technology has evolved and newer cameras are able to work much better under low light and challenging conditions.
Role of the photographer: As someone observing a culture without participating in its core activity, how do you maintain authenticity and insight in your storytelling?
My first book ‘american bachelor’ is a Valentine to my 20s. I was by definition steeped in the culture. CASINOLAND - tired of winning is a bit different because I don’t gamble, but the book is not necessarily about showing the perspective of a gambler, it’s really showing the contrast of what one sees while in a casino versus the promise that is sold through casino commercials. For this project and for future exhibits, I worked with an AI video artist Chris Thomes to create an absurd version of a casino commercial - which can be seen on my website. This was influenced by casino commercials that I grew up seeing over the years.
But I do think that it is possible for an artist to comment on a subculture or a subject even though they are not pat of that culture. There are many examples of this like Robert Frank’s “the Americans”, or some of the great documentaries by Werner Herzog, and all of the international work done by the master Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Connection with the subject: You describe the casino as a “poetry of losing.” How do you connect emotionally with the scenes you photograph while maintaining a satirical tone?
My college degree focused on art history, and I’ve always been interested in looking at figurative work versus abstract art. I love work that tells a story or presents a window into a new or different world. I’ve also been told I tend to be a bit sentimental and I have a soft heart, so maybe that influences the tone of my work?
But I don’t know if this is for me to say? I would prefer to just continue making work and allow other people to have their own opinion. To quote Anais Nin - “we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are”.
I can say that personally and politically I do tend to defend the little guy, so it does pain me to see people who are genuinely affected by gambling and how that negatively impacts their life and the lives of those close to them. Maybe this project can counter the false promise that gambling holds on some people.
In a spiritual sense, we really can’t control all of the world around us, but we can control how we react, so maybe I’m making visual poetry out of the chaotic world of casino culture?
Technical and creative tips: Your use of hyperreal color palettes and dynamic compositions brings out the essence of casino life. What advice would you offer photographers looking to experiment with color and lighting in chaotic environments?
I love working with natural light, and I love night photography, so environments like Las Vegas, Reno, and other casino cultures / environments are a really fun place for me to capture work. Now that Lightroom can do just about anything, you have to remember that just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should do something, and I advise people to keep this in mind with saturation and manipulating an image to the point where it feels fake. I can’t speak for everybody, but since my work is generally focused on documenting reality, even though it’s a heightened reality, it’s important for me that my work doesn’t appear fake. Now that AI is on the verge of radically changing photography, a visual truth is more important to me than ever.
I also feel like I have some ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) which in the U.S. is treated like a problem, but Thom Hartman has written a few books on ADD / ADHD and he compares it to the evolution of man and how hunters and gathers had an advantage by having ADD because it made them able to be more aware of their surroundings. ADD could give you a heightened sense in a chaotic environment, so maybe this helps me and maybe this draws me to the environment to begin with. Other photographer friends have noted that being in a casino is too much for them with sounds and lights, etc. Maybe I was born for this project?
Photography as social commentary: Simon Glickman notes that your work “tells the truth” about the lies of gambling culture. How do you see photography’s role in exposing societal truths or challenging myths
Robert McKee, who writes brilliantly about storytelling, says that it is not the artist’s responsibility to right societal wrongs, but it is the artist responsibility to tell the truth, and in an age of lies and misinformation, the truth is very valuable.
If you contrast the casino commercials to my work you will see a vast difference. Hopefully, I achieve the goal of telling the truth. What do you think?
What’s the biggest truth you hope people take away from Casinoland?
Well primarily I hope people enjoy sitting back and looking at the work and in doing so I hope that the work resonates and perhaps stimulates thoughts and feelings and makes one see the casino environments in a new way.
I don't want to be negative, I just want to go beyond the veneer and the illusion that is presented and share what I see. And if someone has a tendency to be addicted to gambling, this project could help hold up a mirror to see this world in a more truthful way. In a larger sense I feel that documentary photography can hold up a mirror to the world.
Advice for documentary photographers: For photographers aspiring to document long-term projects with social and cultural relevance, what key lessons from Casinoland would you pass on?
Any big prohect always take much longer and cost much more money than imagined. I feel like if one were to embark on a long-term project you have to really have a passion for the subject. That passion could be a deep love or it could be a burning hate that fuels you. Maybe there is a societal injustice that needs to be called out? The challenge is to do something that’s visually interesting. I’ve been curating for over a decade and I tend to look for work that grabs me on an emotional level - but I also attend a lot of gallery openings and exhibits and museum shows and I see a lot of work that has some sort of intellectual or political motivation, but the work itself is pretty boring. Everything is not for everybody, and I don’t have a problem with that other work, but it’s just not for me.
Although some people find the CASINOLAND - tired of winning project to be darker material, there’s definitely something about it that I love. Something about being out at night, being in this fantasy environment, peeking behind the curtain and seeing what’s really going on is endlessly fascinating to me and it’s been a privilege to be able to share my work with the world.
It’s also good to be aware of whether you are a sprinter or a long-distance runner. I’m more of a sprinter so I’ll go through periods when I really get into it and jam and get a lot done, but then they’ll be times where I need to take a break. Ultimately long-form projects are a long distance run so for me it’s a matter of focusing my energy when I’m in the zone and knowing when to take a break to step back and assess. Don’t get too hard on yourself because time is relative. One important thing to note with documentary projects is to have some sort of exit strategy and know when the work is complete. For me it was when I noticed later in the project that I had already captured many of the images that I would be confronted with, so I knew it was time for me to put it all together and get the book out there.
To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here. (Kehrer Verlag, Amazon)
More photography books?
We'd love to read your comments below, sharing your thoughts and insights on the artist's work. Looking forward to welcoming you back for our next [book spotlight]. See you then!
