Ever been to Vegas? Even a few times? Millions of people do it. It is an undeniable fact that the prospect of winning huge sums of money is the main draw for casinos. But how do they keep them gambling for as long as possible - even when they are losing?
Traditional casinos banished clocks and any glimpses of sunlight, to make gamblers lose track of the hours. Thomas installed antique timepieces and skylights that let in the desert sun. Just like with having no clock, this tactic serves to disconnect players from whatever is occurring outside. If a player were to notice it getting dark outside, their internal clock would kick in and tell them it is time to move, which will most likely gambling and casino do their best to prevent this.
Casinos are psychological minefields. Their architectural design, including everything in it, is designed to keep players inside and spending more money. While some of the tactics used to achieve this are as conspicuous as the nose on your face, others are subtle and guile. But they manipulate the gambler’s psyche and make them feel comfortable, wanted, and most of all optimistic. Here are the top 9 maneuvers casinos use to keep rolling in more money.
It is a well-known fact that few people actually wear watches. Casinos owners know this and do nothing to help them be punctual. This is crucial given that time seems to drift by at a faster pace when someone is involved in an activity that is as engaging as gambling in a casino. Be it at a table game, poker table or slot machine, most people remain in a trance-like state while chasing their dreams of making big bucks and with no visible clocks on the wall, time tends to slip by, days melding into nights and schedules dissolving into nothingness and all the while the casinos keep raking in profits.
Most casinos have windows close to the entrance but once a player gets inside, they will hardly notice any. Just like with having no clock, this tactic serves to disconnect players from whatever is occurring outside. If a player were to notice it getting dark outside, their internal clock would kick in and tell them it is time to move, which will most likely gambling and casino do their best to prevent this.
Modern casinos are a cacophony of wonderful and alluring stimulation: siren-like lights flashing, bells ringing, slots wheels whirring and digital sound’s clanging - all meant to captivate by communicating non-verbally to your brain that you can Win! Win! Win! A casino is a hypnotic place with everything slick, gleaming and burnished.
Nothing can get your adrenaline pumping like almost winning big and realizing that you almost took money from a casino bonus. However, if casinos were to give out money to everyone who almost won, they would go broke in a single day. Instead, they designed every game to pay out small wins in the short run while taking more from you overall. Everyone knows that slot machines make small payouts while perpetually being one star or cherry away from that big jackpot. Basically, everything is designed to make you overestimate your chances of winning. Essentially, it’s these near winnings that keep casinos in business.
Anyone fortunate enough to win in a casino is treated like a king. They are offered things they cannot refuse, from free suits to special, extravagant treatment. The casino may lose money by giving away a free room or suite, but by keeping the winners, they increase the chances of winning it all back and they have the house to ensure that this always happens.
Casinos are giant mazes designed to make you feel lost the moment you step in. A sea of tables and machines keep the player from leaving. Nothing is arranged in a logical manner, you may find a bank of lost machines in a location only to find a similar bank of machine 300 feet away. You know that the exit was located near the video poker machines, but exactly which set of video poker machines? Inevitably, you will end up confused.
For many players, especially after drinking some alcohol, finding the exit is like participating in a large, interactive brain teaser.
Alcohol especially free drinks help the casino keep players satisfied, put and feeling cheerful. Next, it can make even the best players sloppy. For instance, if you always use basic blackjack strategy, alcohol will corrupt your brain and affect your ability to make good decisions. You are also more likely to get liberal with your money if drunk or buzzed. But to most, sucking down the free cocktails while enjoying the games is as good as it will ever get.
Playing background music with defined begins and ends would allow gamblers to chart the flow of time unconsciously. On the other hand, playing no music at all would make it possible for patrons to become aware of their environment. Casinos abhor such profound reflection and counter this by constantly looping mild music with no sharper crescendos, pulsing bass notes or sudden diminuendos. The music helps the gambler enter a trance-like state where they are aware of nothing but the game before them- all the while filling the casino's cash boxes.
Sleepy gamblers would likely head home to have a nap.To counter this, the houses pump in oxygen from pressurized tanks to help the gamblers feel awake, refreshed and able to gamble for longer. Some casinos have even been reported to use pheromones that promote feelings of comfort or euphoria, bringing the addictive nature of gambling to new heights.
By Bill Burton
Over the last year, I have heard many players complain that they are not having as many jackpots on the slot machinesas they used to have. I first heard this from a few of my friends who said they believed that the casinos were tightening the machines because the bad economy was forcing people to make fewertrips to the casino. I did not pay too much attention to this but then I started to notice other players posting the same opinions on several Internet forums.
It seems many of the players have come to believe that every casino was lowering the paybackpercentage on all of their machines.
A month ago I was contacted by a newspaper reporter from Colorado who requested an interview with me. He said he was writing a story about the casinos lowering the payback on the slot machinesthat were making it harder for the players to win. He wanted my opinion on the subject and he was surprised by my answer.
I told him I do believe that some casinos may be ordering new machines with lower payout percentages but I did not believe that this was the main reason why players may not be winning as muchas they used to. I gave him the following reasons for my answer.
Over the years there have been many myths associated with casino gambling. One of the most common ones is the belief that a casino can raise and lower a machine's payback with the flip of aswitch. This is not true because the slot machines have a computer chip in them that determines the pay back percentage. These are set at the factory.
In order for a casino to change the pay back, they would have to change the chip. In most jurisdictions, there is paperwork that has to be filled and submitted to the Casino Control Commissionfor each machine if the chip is changed. It is time-consuming and the chips are very expensive. For this reason, the cost of changing the chip in numerous machines on the casino floor does notmake economical sense.
Many of the gambling jurisdictions around the country require the casinos to report the overall payout percentages on a monthly basis. (California is not one of the States) These figures are amatter of public record and are published in some newspapers and gaming publications. I looked back on these figures over the last year and saw that there was very little change in most casinosaround the country. In some instances, there were even some of the payback percentages had increased.
A reason why some players feel that they may not be winning as often is the fact that many players are making fewer trips to the casino so they are not playing as many sessions. So because theyare playing fewer sessions they will see fewer big jackpots and fewer winning sessions overall. It is all proportional.
Some players may have decided to play lower denomination machines. Many of the nickel and penny slot machines have a higher hit frequency, which means you will have many smaller wins but not asmany big jackpots.
If you still honestly believe that your casino is lowering the return rate on the slot machines you have several courses of action. The easiest thing to do is to play the older machines. It isdoubtful that a casino would go through the expense of putting a new chip in an older machine to lower the return rate. You can try a new casino. You may find that your luck is better at adifferent casino and a change is your routine will let you enjoy some new experiences.
You can switch to video poker. It is the only machine game that will let you know the payback of the machine by readingthe pay table. However, if you do decide to try video poker, make sure you learn the strategy or get a strategy card to bring along with you when you play.
Switch to the table games. Playing table games is exciting and they offer a lower house edge than the slot machines. Many casinos give free table game lessons so you can learn the basics beforeyou sit down.
Let me close by saying again that I do believe that there will be some machines on the casino floors with lower returns, however, I do not believe that is as widespread as the rumors would haveyou believe. The casinos are in competition with each other for your business so they do not want to alienate the players by offering games where nobody can win.
As a customer/player you always have the option of taking your business elsewhere. The ultimate decision of where to play is entirely up to you.
Until next time remember, luck comes and goes.....knowledge stays forever.