How Casinos Use Psychological Tricks to Keep Guests Gambling
The modern casino is like an indoor amusement park for adults, with the vast majority of the entertainment (and profits for the owners) coming from gambling. Musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers may draw visitors in, but games of chance such as slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno generate the billions of dollars in profits casinos rake in each year.
Casinos use many psychological tricks to keep guests gambling and craving more, even if they are losing money. They do this through a variety of ways: a windowless layout that creates intimate spaces, red color schemes and other stimulating designs, and even the lack of clocks on casino walls. All of these elements are carefully designed to distract and captivate visitors, making them want to stay longer.
To maximize their profits, casinos know both the house edge for each game they offer and the variance of those odds. This type of data is collected by mathematicians and computer programmers specializing in the field of gaming analysis.
In addition to calculating hold (total revenue minus amount paid out), casinos also track time on device, which is the total number of minutes that players are actually playing a particular machine. This information is critical to a casino’s decision-making process, as it helps them determine whether to make machines more or less profitable. Moreover, it helps them measure guest satisfaction and make informed marketing decisions. This is why most casinos reward players with points, which can be exchanged for cash back or promotional items.