Getty Images
- Every aspect of a casino is designed to lead people into spending more money.
- Casinos use sounds, lights, and physical design to create an environment that is at once welcoming yet hard to step away from.
- Here are nine tricks casinos use to keep you spending your money.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
It's happened to all of us.
You stride into the Luxor, Mohegan Sun, or the Tropicana brimming with confidence, wallet filled with cash, and plans for a bit of enjoyable, sensible gaming and maybe two rounds of cocktails.
Hours later, you have no idea what time it is, how many drinks you've had, or what happened to your money.
But there you are at the ATM yet again, with no plans to leave the bright, temperate casino where everything seems OK - despite the fact that you're losing money hand over fist.
In the end, the house always wins.
But how do casinos trick us into losing so much money? How do they make otherwise rational people - people who work hard for their income and make reasoned financial decisions on a day-to-day basis - throw hundreds or even thousands of dollars away based on the literal roll of the dice, the spin of the wheel, or the draw of the cards?
The short answer is that every aspect of a casino, from the carpets to the ceilings and everything in between, is designed to thwart common sense and lead people into making decisions that are against their own interest.
Casinos use sounds, lights, and physical design to create an environment that is at once welcoming yet hard to navigate. They use enticements like the illusion of frequent big wins to convince us we may well strike it rich if we just keep playing. And they ply us with food and drinks to keep us content and without need beyond diversion.
Read on to see nine ways casinos trick you into spending more money.