10 Tricks Casinos Use to Make You Spend Money

Author: Matthew Haynes

The gambling industry is arguably one of the biggest in the world, especially in terms of revenue. While the last few decades have been rather strong, the introduction of online casinos has effectively made sure of the continued success and potential for the next couple of decades at least.

While for many people who enjoy gambling, this has provided many mixed fortunes over the decades, at a higher level, it has provided many different benefits. Not least for the actual casinos themselves. In territories with strong gaming regulation, this has added a much-needed revenue boost through taxation of the casino establishments themselves. In turn, this has contributed valuably to the economy, enabling authorities to improve infrastructure.

Over the last few decades, gambling venues have become a lot more sophisticated, especially from a marketing standpoint, which has enabled casinos to increase their profit margins, not only by acquiring new customers but then retaining those and existing ones.

As a result, gambling venues are significantly savvier now, especially following entry of the live casino online. which has enabled them to leverage substantially. Below we take a look at 10 tricks that casinos use to get customers to spend more money.

Lucrative Casino Welcome Bonuses

While this may seem straightforward and harmless, this tactic (utilized mainly online) can lead to new customers being attracted. It is seen as ‘normal’ now for online casino brands like Melbet and Unibet to offer multiple free spins or 100 percent matched deposit bonuses that can start from $1000 and certainly go higher.

This can certainly turn a potential customer’s heads, who know that their initial deposit will be instantly doubled. However, for less savvy and inexperienced players, many may not realize that there are often high wagering requirements attached to these offers.

While the industry standard is considered to be between 30x and 35x, these can go as high as 40x. What this means is that players are required to wager their bonus this number of times before they can make a withdrawal, and sometimes, this can result in losing all of the bonus.

However, by this point, a lot of players are hooked and often deposit similar amounts in a bid to try and recoup their losses. Although welcome bonuses can look attractive, there are never any guarantees.

Live Shows and Entertainment

Arguably the pioneers of this was the Las Vegas strip. As far back as the 1950s, land-based casinos in the popular resort began to realise that gambling was a form of entertainment and, as a way of increasing profits, they began to attract top music artists and even circus attractions, which helped to put them on the map.

It meant that casinos in Las Vegas and later Atlantic City became entertainment venues. As a result, customers who visited had a choice of paying a premium to see their favorite performers in a more exclusive setting, especially if they didn’t want to necessarily gamble.

This proved to be an effective tactic for these casinos, which saw revenue increase significantly over the decades that followed. The likes of Frank Sinatra were a major draw; even resulting in some guests to then hit the tables after a show.

Free Casino Tournaments

This tactic has proven to be an effective method that casinos use to get players spending more money. Particularly online poker tournaments, with a big purse, often these attract a substantial amount of interest and entries.

While it is mainly the case that casinos leverage these via VIP schemes, the idea is that successful entrants then use the free prize money on other products that the site offers, which has proven to be a very effective strategy for casinos over the years.

Even brick-and-mortar venues offer this to their regular players, as they know that this can be a good way to make sure they retain their best customers.

Casino Promotions on a Regular Basis

Certainly, in order to help retain customers, the vast majority of online casinos offer frequent promotions, regardless of whether these are monthly, weekly or even daily. Some regular bonuses are even themed so that they essentially become part of a player’s consciousness - they look forward to them.

These come in all different forms, such as ‘x’ number of free spins each day on a different slot or $5 free every month when making a $5 deposit (most online casinos have a $10 minimum deposit). Promotions have become considerably more creative over the last few years, with casinos competing against each other to retain players.

Landbased casinos have also been known to offer these, though more sporadically. It could be that when customers buy their first drink, they get a free $5 chip to use at a baccarat or roulette table.

Use of Bright Colors

Branding plays a big part in online and physical casino strategy, and a considerable part of this is the color palette that each one uses and also color placement on each site. They know that it can have a subconscious effect on a player’s gambling decision.

Not only that, color plays a big part in keeping gamblers on a site, so often, the top banner is a major influencer in this. Of course, everyone has different tastes, so ‘warm and friendly’ colors may not be attractive to everyone, however, it has been known to be a contributor to attracting registrations and deposits.

ATM Machines Next to Slot Machines and Casino Tables

Casinos realised over the years that by placing ATM machines near to the most popular gambling tables and slot machines in their venues proved to be an effective trick for ensuring that players spent more money.

This was especially the case for seasoned gamblers who, if they had been unlucky and lost the money they had initially planned to use, wanted to recoup their losses. Particularly for slot machines that would pay out eventually, it meant that players would not have to walk far from that particular machine in order to withdraw money as a way of increasing the chance of this paying out.

Table Service for Big Spenders at Casinos

Many casinos quickly began to realize that alcohol increased players' spending. In order to keep players from leaving the tables (roulette or blackjack), they would provide continuous table service from the bar (and even sometimes complimentary drinks for the VIP players).

This ‘trick’ has been adopted by many casinos over the decades to great success; they realize that alcohol impairs a player’s judgment and often results in them gambling more and spending more money.

Tailored Surroundings for Players

A lot of thought has gone into the design of casinos over the last few years, who have realised that the more comfortable that they can make it for players, the higher the chance that players will spend more.

Making players feel as much at home as possible and even bringing a more tailored approach to their casino experience is something that has been an effective strategy.

There are numerous ways in which casinos have done this. Temperature regulation has played a big part; often, casinos will make sure it is just right inside. Just cool enough to prevent players from becoming tired and leaving and warm enough to make sure they are relaxed enough.

In addition, narrow walkways provide more of an intimate setting while allowing casinos to be able to accommodate more gambling machines in their venues. Having more than one bar also means that players do not have to wait long for drinks or food, especially if they want to return to the tables or machines quickly.

For big, multi-story casinos like The Venetian, for example, they will often tailor each floor to a particular player’s tastes. As a result, the decor and layout might differ according to spending patterns. A lot of research has gone into the design of casinos over the last few years, many of which have undergone renovations - especially following the aftermath of the recent global pandemic. As such, a lot of investment has gone into this, with many casinos confident that they can make quite a profit.

Accommodation Included for Resorts

The establishment of casino ‘resorts’ helped to take the industry to the next level, with Las Vegas, and then Atlantic City starting this trend. However, over the last couple of decades, this has expanded globally with the big brands realizing that this is an effective trick to entice players.

Working particularly well for VIPs, offering comfortable rooms to players allows them to be able to get a few hours of sleep between their casino sessions so that they can return to the tables refreshed - often being able to take advantage of a complimentary breakfast.

Employment of Attractive Staff in Casinos

Playing on the perhaps cliched, age-old “sex sells'' approach, this is one trick that both land-based and online (live dealers and even brand ambassadors) apply in order to entice players into spending more. However, it still works.

This has proven to be a good deal more effective for land-based casinos, especially croupiers. For players, this works in many different ways. Often, with an attractive croupier, the player will let their ego get the better of them and wager large amounts of cash as a way of trying to impress.

In addition, casinos know that hiring ‘eye candy’ can help to keep players more engaged and in the venue for longer, so they will spend more money, either at the tables or at the bar. Both tricks have proved to be equally effective.

Also, casinos know that having an attractive croupier can prove to be a distraction for players, who can be more focused on the dealer rather than their own cards and, as a result, be more prone to making mistakes, resulting in them losing and then wagering more to try and win back their money.

While this can be regarded as somewhat of an underhand trick and even stereotyping, it is nevertheless effective. Of course, casinos do promote an equal opportunities policy, focused on diversity and ensuring that staff is as highly trained as possible comes first, though there are suggestions that the former does play a part.

How Will Regulation Affect Casino Tricks in the Near Future?

Over the next few years, it will be interesting to see what casinos are allowed to do in terms of attracting players to spend more money. In numerous markets around the world, regulations have limited what casinos are able to do when it comes to this, with responsible gambling being at the center of much reform.

Certainly, for online casinos, these have already been restricted in certain markets - the UK has limited the maximum bets per spin for players, so it could well lead to land-based casinos having to crack down on what they are and are not allowed to do.

As gambling addiction becomes more and more rife, legislators may take the decision to regulate venues and even police them considerably frequently. It could mean that they have to take the decision to ban players from gambling more if they are seen to be intoxicated and incapable of making sensible choices.

Even withdrawal limits may be implemented at ATMs in a casino, in line with responsible gambling initiatives. Gaming and betting are set to become even more popular around the world, and certainly, in the ever-evolving US gambling market. This could mean that casinos are required to scrap some of the ‘tricks’ that they have been using to such great effect in the past.

With increasing advancements in AI (Artificial Intelligence) over the last couple of years, it could even see croupiers replaced by some form of technology, though the likelihood is that customer service will trump this due to players still wanting a more ‘human element’.

However, the above ‘tricks’ are still some to watch out for the next time that you visit a casino!