How Do Casinos Keep You Playing?

5 min read

Whether you like playing at online casinos or at land-based casinos, a variety of factors motivate you to keep wagering. Casino operators strategically place their products to make them irresistible. Many of these casino strategies also present real benefits for players. However, casinos, like any other business, seek to make hefty amounts of dough. Casino managers are quick to offer free drinks especially to high-roller patrons and try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. A few drinks will surely free up the wallet. Online the story is a bit different but operators still use similar strategies. With freebies that aren’t so free, online casinos lure punters into spending more and more. We take a closer look at how the gaming industry entices customers to continue playing.

Freebies and Comp Points

The psychological effects of using the adjective free when advertising a promotion are tremendous. The most traditional freebie that you’ll receive from a land-based casino is a free drink. Now, imagine how generous a human being gets after a few cocktails. Drinking gives you more confidence to take chances, double your wager, or go all in. In addition to free booze, the casino may offer complimentary meals and even a free room at their hotel. The objective being to make sure you stick around and play more games. Because the casino knows that once you have a room to stay, a delicious meal, and drinks you will want for nothing.

Online gambling portals have even more elaborate freebies, crafted to keep you spinning the reels, whether it’s with real money or for free. When you open an account at an online casino, the support team may welcome you by sending you one of many casino bonuses or no deposit casino bonuses. This is where all the magic starts. The casino automatically rewards you with loyalty points each time you inject funds into your player account. Now, for you to redeem these points for cash, you must reach the required number. To get there, you have to spend cash. While everyone knows that the house wins in the long run, this is the casino’s way of softening this reality. For example, a casino may require you to make deposits totaling $5,000 for you to redeem $10. While collecting points, you’ll also accumulate higher levels of VIP statuses. This further drives you towards playing and spending.

Design and Casino Environment

Players go out looking for a great time and if they can find a luxurious environment to kick back, they will not want to leave in a hurry. You are familiar with the peculiar interior design of land-based casinos. But what you might not realize is that every aspect of the design contributes to how much time and money you will spend there. The color themes in most establishments normally include red, which is scientifically known to stimulate the mind. Because of the consistent lighting in the casino, the player will lose track of time and hence keeps on playing. 

The machines and all the tables are organized in such a way that they are part of the decor. The slot machines and tables are configured in a complex maze so that there is a great chance that players will get lost and end up settling at another table or slot even if they were on their way out. Some casinos will even inject special fragrances into the casino which subconsciously motivates you to stay in the casino and therefore play for longer hours. Neon lights on the machines and sound effects also sink into your brain encouraging you to open that wallet.  Additionally, the casino walls display advertising posters with messages that lift your hopes of a win. And there are ATMs everywhere in case your wallet gets empty too soon. So, all the aspects of the establishment are designed to engage all your senses so that you play some more.

The same concept extends to online casinos where the websites display all the popular games on the landing page using extremely noticeable tabs. Online games are also endowed with attractive graphics, sound effects, and impressive animation. This all serves to engage your senses and drive you towards more gameplay.

Occasional Jackpot Wins and Near Wins

Virtually all bettors dream of the day when they’ll hit the jackpot and pocket life-changing fortunes. However, jackpots are rarer than diamonds. Nonetheless, when a player hits the jackpot playing jackpot slots, the casino makes a grand celebration to encourage other players in the casino. The casino staff will open a bottle of Champagne and help the winner celebrate.  Lights start flashing while the machine beeps to draw the attention of all the other patrons. Knowing that someone has won, gives you a confidence boost. You’ll keep believing that your own jackpot will come soon.

Imagine how it feels when you align 4 instead of 5 symbols, missing a million-dollar win. Nearly winning gives you the sense that you are on the right track and therefore you will find yourself soldiering on. But you must remember that machines use random number generators and do not follow any particular pattern. At online establishments, jackpot wins are displayed on the homepage. The winners may even be asked to write a comment which is shared on the website so that even as a new player, you can be motivated to play hard.

Conclusion

Gaming is a lot of fun and may be worth every dollar you spend on it. However, casinos are in it for the Moolah. Whether you’re playing a brick-and-mortar casino or online, be mindful that not all freebies are genuine rewards. Both land-based and online casinos are designed to encourage you to keep playing. All aspects of the casino interior design are devices to lure players into placing infinite bets. The color themes, carpeting, and layout of the slots and tables are crafted to convince you to spend and spend some more. Also, casinos may overemphasize the rare jackpot wins to make you believe that you too can scoop a jackpot of your own. All casino games are chance-based and you must remember that gambling is meant for recreational purposes. It is not a sustainable source of income, so stay safe and gamble responsibly.