I’ve been to casinos in Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, and California, and have never seen a non-mirrored ceiling, that I can recall. This is mainly to allow hidden cameras, of course. I find casinos in general to have a lot of artificial light, but dark color schemes.
Also, I believe that patterns of lines on the carpets will lead you, if followed, to specific high-money or high risk games…
hrh
I worked for a law firm that represented a casino outside Minneapolis, and have a WAG for the origin of this rumor.
This casino, located on tribal land, was not subject to state non-smoking laws. The casino wanted to be pleasant for both smokers and non-smokers, without dividing up the space. Solution? They installed a mammoth ventilation system that provided a complete air exchange every 7 minutes (IIRC). You could sit right next to a smoker and not notice any off smell, and go home with clothes still smelling fresh.
And yes, even a tribal casino offered free liquor.*
*Note for non-North Americans: for a variety of social and, possibly, genetic reasons, native peoples suffer horrific alcoholism rates.