How Casinos Manipulate Guests and Keep Them Coming Back For More
Casino is a glitzy place where people can gamble, play games, eat and drink. But casinos are also designed to manipulate guests and keep them coming back for more, even though the house always wins. It’s all thanks to psychology, light shows, and other tricks that casinos use to make you want to spend your money hand over fist.
Martin Scorsese’s Casino is one of the best movies about gambling and the psychology behind it. The three-hour film is a taut and riveting thriller that is sure to keep your attention until the end. The movie has an amazing cast, including Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. But it is the performance of Joe Pesci as Santoro that is the most memorable.
Gambling is a game of chance and chance has its own built-in bias against players. That’s why many people are addicted to casino games, even though they know that the house always wins. But what makes otherwise rational people lose hundreds or thousands of dollars based on the roll of a dice or the spin of a wheel? The answer is casino design. From dazzling lights to endless rows of slot machines, everything in a casino is designed to trick you into spending your hard-earned money.
The lights and sounds in a casino are meant to create an atmosphere of euphoria and happiness, making you feel like you’re on a winning streak. The scent of cigarette smoke and food adds to this feeling. In addition, casinos often have windowless spaces that are lit with lighting that mimics the sky during the day. This way, you can’t tell what time it is and you won’t have an excuse to stop playing.
Another strategy that casinos use is to confuse their visitors by placing directional signs that lead them into a maze of gaming sections. Curving paths and strategically placed games are meant to entice players to keep walking and gambling when they were actually just on their way to the restroom or buffet. This type of disorientation is also used in airports to distract and confuse passengers, keeping them from noticing that they are wasting their time.
Using technology to monitor and supervise casino games is another strategy that casinos have employed in recent decades. In addition to video surveillance of all games, casinos have begun to utilize chip tracking systems that allow them to know exactly how much is being wagered on a particular table minute by minute. Roulette wheels are electronically monitored on a regular basis to detect any statistical deviations from their expected results.
As a casino owner, it’s important to understand what makes your casino unique and appealing to your target audience so that you can keep your business thriving. However, it’s also important to remember that trends change fast, and what’s popular now may not be the same thing five or ten years from now. To stay relevant, focus on customer service, quick withdrawals and the use of high-end software from leading providers, e.g. NetEnt and Amatic.