How Casinos Use Psychology of Gambling to Keep You Playing

Psychology is referred to as one of the most important sciences. This vast field has many benefits, including enhancing your well-being and helping you understand relationships.

Casinos are some of the industries that have mastered the psychology of gambling and now use it to keep you playing even when you are losing. So, how can you really outsmart the casinos when playing? Read on to find out.

What is the Psychological Approach to Gambling?

The history of gambling dates far back to the first millennium BC. It has since grown in popularity and comes with advantages and disadvantages. A recent report shows that online casino gambling is an addiction just like any other, as it activates the brain’s reward system, which is usually powered by dopamine.

Dopamine, often referred to as the happy hormone, promotes feelings of well-being and is usually spiked when the human brain experiences pleasurable things. As a money gambling addict, your brain now connects the sensation with gambling, which makes the addiction even deeper, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

While healthy gamblers play for different reasons, such as fun and excitement, problem gamblers have money motivation at the back of their heads. They always think that if they play enough, they will win. Casinos know it and take advantage of this till their accounts run dry.

How Casinos Use Psychology to Keep Players Engaged?

The Use of Colors and Sounds


Colors

Casinos often use bright lights and flashy colours to catch your attention. This makes the gambling games seem more exciting, thus keeping you engaged for longer. Colours and light are effective sensory stimulators that immerse you in the selected atmospheres. Gambling research shows that the sensory stimuli reinforce the positive feelings, making you feel like a winner even when you lose money.

According to the colour theory, all colours can exude particular emotional responses. For instance, a casino with warm and inviting colours like red, orange, and gold will build excitement. This explains why most popular slot machines have been designed with these colours at their core. When gold and red are combined, they make one feel like a success and a winner, even in losses. It is all about the illusion of wealth and sumptuousness.

Sounds

If you have played slot games, you know what sounds can make one feel like. Besides the flashing lights, these casino games usually have celebratory sounds and vibrant animations for that immersive atmosphere.

Research by neuroscientists shows that even though sounds may increase enjoyment, they may also lead to an overestimation of winning, which drags you further down into the gambling problem and addiction. The cheerful jingles, bells, and repetitive melodies are designed to keep you motivated and in a positive mood. All this keeps you playing.

Game Design and Reward Systems


Small, Frequent Wins

Instead of having consistent wins, most casino games offer intermittent wins. Even though it isn’t exactly a negative thing, the small wins imply that a player gets small wins frequently enough to keep them motivated. The wins may be something good to keep you going, but you won’t be satisfied enough to leave the particular platform.

Random Wins

If you knew when the successive win would come, chances are you could log in at that time so you could cash out massively. Well, casinos now know this and use the unpredictability of the wins to keep you spinning the reels or placing your bets. The fact that you do not know when the reward will come keeps your hope alive that it’s around the corner even when it isn’t.

Bonus Rounds and Free Spins

Bonuses and free spins in slot games are incentives that keep you playing. Casinos have mastered offering welcome bonuses and rewards to incentivise the signup process. The freebies make you feel like you are beating the system or getting a head start.

Once you begin playing with the incentives, there is a high chance that you will continue playing with your own money, hoping you can build on the success. In the end, you get addicted to gambling and are unable to leave.

Mystery Prizes and Hidden Bonuses

Besides the regular promotions and bonuses, casinos use mystery prizes and hidden bonuses to intrigue you. The trick with these techniques is to keep you engaged for as long as possible. It could start with a free game demo, and when you are hooked, you have to play with real money.

With a mystery box, you never know what you are getting. This makes you keep your hopes up, as the element of surprise could be in your favour. All this leads to prolonged play, which implies that you spend more money than you had anticipated.

Casino Layouts and Time Manipulation


Land-Based Casinos

Land-based casinos are no different from their online counterparts in terms of manipulation and layout. Most of them will offer incentives such as free food and accommodation so that you do not leave the building. Others pump oxygen and other subliminal scents to manipulate you into staying longer.

Another common trick is the labyrinthine floor plans, which make it difficult to find the exits easily, especially when you have been indulging. In short, everything from the dealers to the waitresses is programmed and taught how to make you feel good and important so you can keep spending your money.

Online Casinos

The leading iGaming software providers in the industry are famous for creating excellent game mechanics and designs using modern technology. They continuously improve the games and release the latest updates to keep them fresh and exciting. All this is to improve and enhance the user experience. The more time you spend on the game, the more they can retain you.

Casinos also have vibrant visuals and audio effects using technology to create that immersive casino experience. The elements used in the layout enhance the impact of wins and losses, making the presentation more enjoyable. If you play in any round, you feel that your chances of winning are high and achievable. On the other hand, if you miss out, you feel emotionally dented, knowing that it could be the winning round.

Freebies and Rewards Programs


Loyalty Programs

Whether traditional or online, all casinos strive to create a welcoming and rewarding environment for their patrons. One notable way is by using loyalty programs and VIP clubs. While you may think these reward programs are for feeling appreciated, they are schemes to keep you spending.

The policy for the loyalty programs is that the more you spend and play, the more points you can earn. The points usually keep increasing, and these place you in different tiers, with the highest tiers receiving the biggest bonus advantages. Every time you play and climb ranks, your mind feels as though it has conquered something, hence releasing the dopamine hormone.

Free Drinks and Other Perks

For land-based casinos, one of their biggest tricks is offering free drinks, food, accommodation, and even destination vacations upon playing. Some prizes, such as food and drinks, are available, while the destination vacations and trips are a competition. It is a draw that you can only win by playing more and accumulating points.

With this information at the back of your mind, you find yourself playing more, hoping to win the draw. After all, you convince yourself that the value of the vacation is way more than what you are wagering.

The Psychological Principle Behind Gambling Addictions

Gambling is very similar to the use of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine. This is because gambling activates your brain’s reward system, which is usually powered by the happy hormone (dopamine). In simpler terms, dopamine is the part of your brain that reinforces sensations of pleasure and connects them with particular actions.

With time, your brain is unable to differentiate whether you are playing for real money or entertainment. It is the activity that reinforces the release of dopamine. This may lead to cognitive distortions, which usually occur when pathological gamblers lose huge amounts of money or other assets due to the action.

How Players Can Use Psychology to Their Advantage?


Learn the Main Triggers

Gambling can be fun and exciting when done in moderation. However, problem gambling is a major issue and may lead to a dark path of addiction, even for celebrities. Before getting into any gambling activity, you must identify the main triggers and notice when things are about to get tough. If you lose more than once, learn to take a break and avoid chasing losses.

Set Psychological Boundaries

The ‘big win’ allure has led gamblers to make bad decisions. Some even risked their life savings and used their assets as collateral just to continue gambling. You must understand your risk perception and set psychological boundaries for yourself. Know that you have control over the outcomes; if it doesn’t go your way, there is always a next time.

Control Your Emotions

Gambling with your emotions is the fastest way to lose money. Emotions play a vital role in influencing your decisions. If you peg your gambling on excitement, adrenaline, and hope, you will fail. All these are emotions that casinos know and try to evoke in their games and layouts. Control the emotions and make it easier for you to walk away when things tend to get tough.

Use Rewards for Good Gambling Behavior

Your brain’s cue and reward system needs to be very structured so that you can identify when you are falling into problems. A good way for you to identify your cues when gambling is spending at least one to three weeks noting down all your gambling activities and what led you to them. Note down everything and see the pattern. With this, you can avoid some cues and eliminate the triggers. Don’t forget to reward yourself for staying on track.

How Do Casinos Keep People from Gambling Too Much?

While casinos have all the tricks to keep you playing and engaged, they must also offer a way out to gamblers seeking a way out or a break. One of the programs a problem gambler can use is the self-exclusion program. These are designed to keep you locked out of a particular site for a specific time (of your choice). The time is usually between one to six months. During the self-exclusion time, you cannot access the services of the particular casino.

The second thing is clearly including warnings about gambling addiction on their websites and their premises. If you have visited physical casinos, you can attest to this. Besides this, the casinos also impose limits on losses, which could be daily or weekly (sometimes monthly) depending on the particular establishment. If you lose up to a certain amount, the casino doesn’t allow you to continue betting.

How to Make Sure You Are Not Falling into Compulsive Gambling

Psychology of Gambling FAQs

How do casinos use psychology?

There are many ways casinos use psychology to keep gambling addicts engaged and immersed into their game offerings. As mentioned above, casinos use designs with flashing lights and motivating sounds so you can continue even when you are losing. The winning sounds usually trigger a short-lived dopamine rush, which makes you want to play more with the hope of winning something bigger.

What is the psychological principle behind gambling addictions?

The psychological principle involved in gambling is keeping you in a positive mood and motivated enough to keep playing. This can be achieved by offering random wins, bonus rounds, and promotions such as free spins.

Casinos also offer reward systems and mystery bonuses or prizes to increase your time on the website or platform. As long as you are logged in, you want to play and maximise your winnings, which may never materialise.

Will a gambler ever change?

Problem or pathological gambling is a huge issue in the iGaming industry. When you get to this point, you are usually dealing with a lot of issues, one of them being debt, mental health disorders, and, ultimately, gambling disorder.

Compulsive gamblers can change but takes time, dedication, and strategies. The treatment involves CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and staying off gambling platforms for some time. The length of exclusion hugely depends on the issue at hand.

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Aaron Jones Written by Aaron Jones
Last updated on 28 October 2024