I love playing at online casinos. I tend to have a good winning record, I can play only as long as I want to (I can just shut my laptop lid any time I want), I can make my own drinks (typically non-alcoholic), and I can even replace the music of the games with my own pop music playing on Alexa. This approach allows me to better concentrate on my gameplay, and in turn I tend to play more strategically, and win more often.

Playing in land based casinos is a different undertaking, and makes me more susceptible to the tricks they play to keep me playing, and in house. Land based casinos are often multi-billion dollar businesses, and they employ some of the best psychologists and human behaviour experts to ensure that the environments are as confusing as possible for patrons. Seriously!

All gamblers know that basically casinos want to take your money, in return for a fun time. You CAN beat the casinos, and many of my readers do, but there are no absolute guarantees. Generally, you’re playing negative expectation games, and the longer you stay the more you pay. There’s a saying that the most expensive room in a casino hotel is the “free room”. It’s true – there’s an expectation of play, and many players lose simply because they continue to play and play when staying for free.

So what kinds of “tricks” do land based casinos employ? Well, from the moment you walk in, you’ve surrounded with a sensory overload. There are bright colours and flashing lights everywhere on slot machines and electronic table games, bouncy music playing, and a general atmosphere of excitement, inducing you to participate. The casino is all around you, and everywhere you look there’s some new game to try. But have you noticed that most casinos don’t have windows? Often there’s no natural light except at the casino entrances and exits. Doors are often heavily tinted which blocks out natural sunlight. If you can’t look outside then you lack visual awareness that the day is passing by. Ceilings can be painted to look like day or night, to add to the confusion. And many casinos don’t have clocks either, for the same reason. Casinos don’t want you to think about time flying by, and where you need to be. They want you to be fully engaged in their environment, and keep playing until your money has disappeared.

Soft dim lighting is often used in casinos to create a cosy ambiance, along with background music that’s designed to relax you. It’s the games themselves that are designed to stand out. The background decor can be basic and plain, but the carpets are often deliberately vibrant – so that you’ll keep your eyes off the floor and on your chosen casino game. Casinos know that getting sleepy is harder in casinos which are bright and busy – so they keep them that way to help you stay in the casino and avoid going to your hotel room. Casinos are also kept clean – the environments must constantly support the illusion that this is a “happy place” where you can relax and let lose. Drink spills, vomit and rubbish don’t belong here, just in the real world.

Casino air conditioning is amazing. Most casinos have great HVAC air conditioning systems that purify and filter the air, getting rid of cigarette and alcohol smells, and human BO. Some casinos add extra oxygen to their air supplies to keep players refreshed and alert – and gambling for longer. Some casinos additionally add vaporised aromatic oils and pheromones to the air, including signature scents, to invoke particular feelings in guests. Scents can add to the ambience of a casino, and support a sub-conscious sense of comfort for players. You walk into the casino, smell the scents, and feel primed to gamble… which is exactly what the house wants!

Casinos are deliberately designed like mazes, to be disorienting. There are very few straight lines in casinos leading to exits for example. Generally you need to follow curving pathways – which take you past strategically placed gaming devices to reach an exit. Maybe you’ll play that new game for a few spins on the way. Maybe you’ll give up trying to find the exit and decide to spend a few more hours in the casino. Time is money – the longer you stay in the environment with negative expectation, the more likely it is that you’ll spend money you didn’t intend to lose. It really is that simple.

Cashier booths (where you exchange your hard won tickets and chips for cash) are often buried deep in the casino, along with restrooms and some restaurants, so that you have to walk past lots of slot machines and casino table games on the way. And casinos often keep minimal staff on the cashier’s booth – deliberately so that longer lines form to cash out. What’s more fun – playing more games on your slot machine, or waiting in a line? Yes, it’s all a game… at your expense. Cashiers will typically give you the biggest denominations of bills when cashing you in too. Why? It might encourage you to put $100 into an electronic gaming machine on your way out of the building, rather than $10.

Even though casinos are ultimately all about the money, casinos don’t want you to think about that when playing. Table games require chips (once your money is swapped they’re just game pieces), and most slot machines take tickets or produce digital credits. Some casinos let you fund pre-paid credit cards and give you bonuses based on refill amounts. When you’re spending digital credits or playing with casino table chips, it can be easy to lose track of how much money you’ve spent, lost or won. Electronic gaming machines that print tickets also help to disassociate gambling from spending real money. It becomes easier to feed the ticket into another slot machine rather than go through the hassle of exchanging it for cash.

Many casinos offer free or heavily discounted drinks and snacks, which seems really nice of them. It is, but it’s to favour them – and not you. Alcohol consumption creates loss of inhibitions and compromised decision making. In the short term, it can create a fun atmosphere in which you’re excited, enthusiastic, make poor bets and spend more money. But after a few drinks you’re more likely to make bad gambling decisions – and lose. The longer you drink, the longer you stay, and the more you pay. Free food from casinos means you won’t get hungry and leave – or fall over drunk.

Casino comps are a calculated perk for regular players. Casinos can offer you the world – free meals, free rooms, free event tickets, free access to VIP lounges, free experiences. These can be amazing too. But in general terms the perks you earn you’ll pay for many times over through your losses. I always tell players – play casino games because you enjoy them and can afford the financial risks, not because of the comps. Now casinos like Dafabet Casino online offer cashback on every bet (e.g. 0.88% of every spin – so every $100 you gamble gets you 88c cashback), and this can add up very quickly for players, giving you a “cash comp” at the end of your session. That’s a great feature – but consider it a bonus. Play because you want to, not because you’re just trying to accrue a cashback pot.

In land-based casinos, hosts roam the floor looking for mid and high rolling casino players who seem to be having a hard time. For example, a host may witness somebody having a big loss or tough session – and then zoom over to have a friendly chat of encouragement, and offer some free food or drinks and the chance to take a break. This gives the gambler the chance to “reset” – but the majority of gamblers return to play after the free meal… and then stay longer than intended because of the break… and then lose even more.

Many slot clubs offer promotions where you can get free stuff just for playing and achieving a points level. Free clothing, hats, playing cards and souvenirs are not uncommon. They’re a psychological pull – because you might think “Well I lost $50, but I got a free t-shirt so it was worth it.”. The t-shirt might cost the casino $3 to make, but they’ll say it’s got a retail value of $24.99. The reality is that you’ve still ultimately paid $50 for that $3 t-shirt (and for a good time, a few free drinks, and a reality break).

Casino slot machines can be dangerous, and they constantly try to captivate you with flashing lights, ringing bells and cheerful, celebratory music that stimulates the reward center in your brain. They’re fun to play – but just be aware than fun on the outside can be an illusion on the inside. These welcoming and comforting machines have no soul. They’re robots designed to take money from your wallet through negative expectation. RTP of 95.4% still means a LOSS of 4.6% for the player in the long term. You play, you pay.

Casinos can definitely be fun places, and like me you should definitely visit them if this is a pastime you enjoy. They’re great places for social outings with friends. With the right amount of luck and playing skills intact, and not too much alcohol in your system, you CAN win money in casinos (and many do). But keep a reality check and always be aware of your environment, your bankroll position, and your personal safety. Ultimately the house always wins in the end.