A taste for success

Of all our senses, the sense of taste seems like the one that casino can’t really exploit, right? It’s not like we ever lick a slot machine or chew on a playing card while we’re gambling (at least we don’t, but we’re not here to judge!).

But we do see casinos offering us small perks like a free glass of our favourite drink or a plate of snacks if we’re gambling for a long time or for a lot of money.

Yes, we know, it’s not really about our sense of tase but it does speak to our sense of gratitude or our desire to be seen as a valued player when the casino brings us these freebies. And it’s all just a ploy to –yep, you guessed it – keep us playing!

As a side note: you must be careful of the free drinks at a casino. Yes, it’s great when someone is a buying us a pint, but alcohol and gambling do not mix. Stay sober and play better!

It’s a-maze-ing

All these little psychological tricks may seem sneaky, but it’s actually just basic human retail design and thinking.

One of the bigger, more obvious, but less noticed ways casinos get us to stay and play is the layout of the casino floor.

It’s like a maze.

For anyone who has shopped at IKEA, you will recognise how the layout keeps you wandering down the aisles and gets your eyeballs on as many products as possible. In a casino, the slots are laid out to stop any clear path from the entrance to the tables or from the tables to the cashier. You may notice yourself wandering past rows of slots and then suddenly having to make a weird turn to get further. It’s all down to getting you to spend as much time as possible walking past the flashing lights and alluring sound effects, to maybe drop a few bob into a slot or two, to try your luck before hitting the tables.

For slots players, the most popular low-limit slot machines are usually the one right up front, followed by the more expensive games, and leading to the big progressive jackpots. Progressive slots burn through players’ money, so the casino wants you to play t lower risk, lower value (bit still incredibly lucrative for them) games before you go all in on the big jackpots.

And the cashiers are always hidden way down the back, nowhere near an exit, and past a final row of eye-catching games to get you to try just a little more before you cash out.

Clever.

A subtle touch

Even our sense of touch is targeted through being able to hit that spin button (or pull that lever in some slot games), feel the cards, touch the rich baize of the tables, and physically feel the hum and pulse of the casino floor through our bodies.

But our sense of touch is really targeted with the casino chips. We can hold them. We can see the values on them. But they are not really REAL currency for us. It’s like they’re toys. And it’s why we don’t mind losing at casinos.  

By being able to physically hold the chips and, in doing so, realise that they aren’t real coins or notes, they become symbolic rather than actual. It’s not real money anymore and so we tend to make bigger and more risky choices when we use chips rather than real physical money.

It all makes sense

We have five senses and casinos exploit every one of them to the fullest. It gives us a feeling of belonging, of being part of something exciting, a feeling of comfort. All while we put bucketloads of cash into the casino’s pockets.

None of it is illegal in any way. None of it is a way of conning us. It’s all just using our inherent human traits and psychological foibles to make sure we are at ease enough to spend the time and the money quite happily on our favourite pastime – and make them richer.