Why Do Casinos Not Have Clocks
If you have been to Las Vegas, Macau, or Monaco (or Mayfair for that matter) you might have noticed on your travels that most casinos don´t have clocks.
Just like with having no clock, this tactic serves to disconnect players from whatever is occurring outside. If a player were to notice it getting dark outside, their internal clock would kick in and tell them it is time to move, which will most likely gambling and casino do their best to prevent this. The explanation is easy enough: all casinos are designed to keep gamers inside, spending money, otherwise how else will the house win? Yes, there are no clocks in casinos. Just imagine looking up and reading 2AM on a clock, thoughts like “it’s time to call it a night” will surely enter your mind, but casino bosses don’t want that.
Why is that? Do they have an aversion to telling the time or something? Well, it´s a marketing ploy of course, along the same line as the Muzak you´ll hear drilling into your brain at a shopping mall. The main aim of this practice is to help you to forget the time and stay in the casino longer.
And the longer you are in the casino, the more chance they have of winning some money off you. If you have scooped the jackpot, the casino is not going to claw any of its money back if you leave!
Why Do Casinos Not Have Clocks
There´s an easy remedy to this- always wear a watch! Casinos want you to forget about the time and just lose yourself in the games. Set a time limit (or even an alarm!) for your session. Beat them at their own game.
The most successful players are those that employ a “Hit and Run” strategy (The late Kerry Packer, one of the world´s most famous casino high rollers who loved to play baccarat and was a past master at this. Think of yourself as a member of a crack commando unit (you can even “Go Commando” if you must, it´s hot in Vegas).
It is commonly accepted that Casinos discourage the use of clocks or windows on the gaming floor in order to keep the players in a state of hyperfocus. By not allowing them to reference daylight or time, players lose track of time and theoretically play for longer periods of time. There’s a reason why the casino almost always wins. The following are 12 tricks casinos use to manipulate gamblers into playing for as long as possible. #1 No clocks and no windows. If you don’t wear a watch to the casino or you forgot your phone at home, good luck finding out the time. Time has no meaning in a casino.
Make a plan before you go in. Blitz in to the casino and stick to your profit/stop loss plan to the letter. High tail it out of there when you have hit your numbers! Remember, these days, there are plenty of other great things to see in these towns (particularly on The Strip)- go to a show or a great restaurant, for example. Mix it up!
Most casinos don´t have windows either (again, a trick of the trade to help you lose your sense of time). And you´ll notice that the ambient lighting dims and brightens at wierd intervals to give you the impression that the sun is still up. (One noteable and refreshing exception to this is the new Wynn Encore in Las Vegas which does have windows by some of its gaming tables. Halelujah for all of us who aren´t vampires or zombies).
Other tricks that you might want to be aware of:
– The dealers are very fast, the slots are fast- everything is fast! The casinos want you to play fast, as they need to “churn” through your money to have a chance of taking it off you. Set your own pace! Play as slow as you like (you might need to pick it up at the blackjack tables, but if you are playing slots, you make
the decision when to hit the buttons. if you are playing roulette, sit out a few games).
– It´s not just Club Tropicana where the drinks are free. The casinos love a drunk, so drink with moderation when you are betting. It´s the same theory as getting behind the wheel of a car: Don´t Drink and Bet! It just makes you too confident and you´ll end up making silly bets.
– The casinos will want to change your money into chips as soon as possible. Why? Because it doesn´t feel like real money. Most people are looser with chips than actual notes. If you played roulette by placing $10 bills on the table rather than chips, do you think you would bet so much? So..play the casinos at their own game. If you do have a big win- change the chips back into notes as soon as you can and put the notes in your wallet. You can always change them back if you want (but I bet you don´t). If you keep the chips too long, you´ll just end up betting them.
– One last tip. Do you know how you can avoid all of these dastardly tricks when playing at a casino? Play at an online casino! (But then we would say that, wouldn´t we).
Ever been to Vegas? Even a few times? Millions of people do it. It is an undeniable fact that the prospect of winning huge sums of money is the main draw for casinos. But how do they keep them gambling for as long as possible - even when they are losing?
Casinos are psychological minefields. Their architectural design, including everything in it, is designed to keep players inside and spending more money. While some of the tactics used to achieve this are as conspicuous as the nose on your face, others are subtle and guile. But they manipulate the gambler’s psyche and make them feel comfortable, wanted, and most of all optimistic. Here are the top 9 maneuvers casinos use to keep rolling in more money.
No clocks
It is a well-known fact that few people actually wear watches. Casinos owners know this and do nothing to help them be punctual. This is crucial given that time seems to drift by at a faster pace when someone is involved in an activity that is as engaging as gambling in a casino. Be it at a table game, poker table or slot machine, most people remain in a trance-like state while chasing their dreams of making big bucks and with no visible clocks on the wall, time tends to slip by, days melding into nights and schedules dissolving into nothingness and all the while the casinos keep raking in profits.
No windows
Most casinos have windows close to the entrance but once a player gets inside, they will hardly notice any. Just like with having no clock, this tactic serves to disconnect players from whatever is occurring outside. If a player were to notice it getting dark outside, their internal clock would kick in and tell them it is time to move, which will most likely gambling and casino do their best to prevent this.
Flashing lights, Lights, sounds and lots of activity
Modern casinos are a cacophony of wonderful and alluring stimulation: siren-like lights flashing, bells ringing, slots wheels whirring and digital sound’s clanging - all meant to captivate by communicating non-verbally to your brain that you can Win! Win! Win! A casino is a hypnotic place with everything slick, gleaming and burnished.
Near wins
Nothing can get your adrenaline pumping like almost winning big and realizing that you almost took money from a casino bonus. However, if casinos were to give out money to everyone who almost won, they would go broke in a single day. Instead, they designed every game to pay out small wins in the short run while taking more from you overall. Everyone knows that slot machines make small payouts while perpetually being one star or cherry away from that big jackpot. Basically, everything is designed to make you overestimate your chances of winning. Essentially, it’s these near winnings that keep casinos in business.
Keeping the Big Winners
Anyone fortunate enough to win in a casino is treated like a king. They are offered things they cannot refuse, from free suits to special, extravagant treatment. The casino may lose money by giving away a free room or suite, but by keeping the winners, they increase the chances of winning it all back and they have the house to ensure that this always happens.
Maze-like internal design
Casinos are giant mazes designed to make you feel lost the moment you step in. A sea of tables and machines keep the player from leaving. Nothing is arranged in a logical manner, you may find a bank of lost machines in a location only to find a similar bank of machine 300 feet away. You know that the exit was located near the video poker machines, but exactly which set of video poker machines? Inevitably, you will end up confused.
For many players, especially after drinking some alcohol, finding the exit is like participating in a large, interactive brain teaser.
The alcohol
Alcohol especially free drinks help the casino keep players satisfied, put and feeling cheerful. Next, it can make even the best players sloppy. For instance, if you always use basic blackjack strategy, alcohol will corrupt your brain and affect your ability to make good decisions. You are also more likely to get liberal with your money if drunk or buzzed. But to most, sucking down the free cocktails while enjoying the games is as good as it will ever get.
Mild, looping, hypnotic music
Playing background music with defined begins and ends would allow gamblers to chart the flow of time unconsciously. On the other hand, playing no music at all would make it possible for patrons to become aware of their environment. Casinos abhor such profound reflection and counter this by constantly looping mild music with no sharper crescendos, pulsing bass notes or sudden diminuendos. The music helps the gambler enter a trance-like state where they are aware of nothing but the game before them- all the while filling the casino's cash boxes.
Additional oxygen
Why Do Casinos Not Have Clocks
Sleepy gamblers would likely head home to have a nap.To counter this, the houses pump in oxygen from pressurized tanks to help the gamblers feel awake, refreshed and able to gamble for longer. Some casinos have even been reported to use pheromones that promote feelings of comfort or euphoria, bringing the addictive nature of gambling to new heights.