Mingo< I would like to suggest that you actully walk into most any casino around here. You would be hard pressed to find anything like you described. Fights? I can't think of anywhere that there is more security.
Mostly when I go in to a casino I am heading strait for the cardroom. There you will find a very diverse crowd, from young to old. Some may occaisonaly drink, but for the most part when you are playing for $100 - 1000 you want to stay focused.
I think the truth is somewhere close to right in the middle between the sparkly happy crew and the wife beaters you describe.
Gutz, I'm sure your local cardroom is much better than what I saw, I admit my last two stop-ins for a beer were up north at the Tulalip Casino after hitting the Skagit and Sauk. I was only out in the area around the slots....and you are right about the security, they snowshoveled that brief fight up so quick it was amazing. I didn't see anyone close to TV-ad sparkly (us included, we were pretty beat from fishing all day) and my buddy and I were laughing about it the last time.....this looked like a Jonas family reunion.............but damn people were playing those slots nonstop. I'm not a gambler so I can't relate.