How Casinos Mess with Your Mind: 6 Sneaky Tricks

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Xenia Luch

18 October 2023

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Casinos are masters of manipulation. They use clever tricks to fool your mind and empty your wallet. Don’t let them win. Here are the top 6 tricks:

TrickWhat is the effect?
Bright Lights & Loud SoundsTriggers dopamine release 
Memorable ScentsProven to increase spending by up to 45%
Near-MissesActivates the same brain regions as actual wins
Variable-Ratio ScheduleRandom rewards makes gambling more addictive
Cashless GamesReduces the perception of loss 
No WindowsCreates a timeless environment

Bright Lights & Loud Sounds

Casinos are a sensory overload of non-stop sound, lights and color. They use these stimuli to trigger your dopamine system, the part of your brain that is responsible for reward. Dopamine is also known as the “feel-good” chemical, as it creates a pleasurable sensation when you receive a reward. Slot machines are designed to flash and beep when you win, captivating you and boosting your mood. They make you feel hopeful that you could win big next time. However, this is a trap. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that these stimuli can promote risky decision-making, especially when audio and visual elements are used together.

Hotel and Casino the Wynn
Inside of the Wynn, Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Memorable scents

Can you smell anything when you enter a casino? You may not realize it, but casinos use aromatherapy to create a pleasant and memorable atmosphere for their guests. Studies have shown that certain scents can influence your behavior. For instance, some scents can make you feel more relaxed, alert or aroused. Casinos may use these scents to enhance your gambling experience and make you want to stay longer. A study found that a scented area increased slot machine usage by 45.11% compared to a control group. Some casinos even trademark their own signature scents, such as The Mirage’s “Tropical Coco Mango” or Bellagio’s “Blue Ice”. 

The Mirage and Bellagio scents
The Mirage’s and Bellagio’s scents

Near-Misses

Sometimes, you may feel like you almost won but fell short by a small margin. For example, a slot machine may show two cherries and a lemon, just one symbol away from a jackpot. These are called near-misses, and they can make you feel frustrated and motivated, making you believe that you should try again. Casinos use them to make you think that you have more control than you actually do. Research has shown that near-misses can activate the same brain regions as actual wins, making you want to gamble more. How many times have you said “Just one more try”?

Losing at the casino

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Did you know that slot machines are the most addictive form of gambling? That’s because they use a trick called the variable-ratio schedule. This is when you get rewarded randomly for doing something. Like when you play a slot machine, and you don’t know when the next jackpot will come. You keep playing, hoping for a win. This makes you excited, but also resistant to quitting. This trick was discovered by B.F. Skinner, a famous psychologist who experimented with pigeons. He found that they would press a button for food, even if the food was given randomly. They would ignore the other button that gave food more often but less amount. Sounds familiar?

B.F. Skinner's pigeons
B. F. Skinner with his pigeons

Cashless games

Many casinos have switched from using coins and chips to using cards and electronic systems for their games. This makes gambling more efficient, but also more detached from reality. When you use cashless methods, you may lose track of how much money you are spending and feel less pain when you lose. A study found that gamblers who used credit cards spent 10% more than those who used cash. Such games can also create an illusion of wealth, as you may perceive digital credits as less valuable than real money.

cashless payment in casino

No Windows

Have you ever noticed that casinos don’t have any windows? That’s because they don’t want you to see the light of day. Windows can remind you of the outside world, where there are other things to do besides gambling. They can also help you keep track of time, which is something casinos don’t want you to do. Casinos want you to forget about everything else and focus on their games. They want you to feel like you are in a different reality, where time doesn’t matter. That’s why they also don’t have any clocks on their walls. As the famous quote from the movie Casino goes: “In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose, and in the end, we get it all”.

Casino movie
The scene from the movie Casino, 1995