It’s happened to everyone: You stride into the Luxor, Mohegan Sun or Tropicana, wallet filled with cash, ready for a bit of enjoyable, sensible gaming and maybe two rounds of cocktails. Hours later, you have no idea what time it is or how much money you’ve lost. That’s because casinos use every trick in the book to make it hard for you to leave.
Something about the casino floor and the potential for big wins attracts people who are down on their luck, who feel like they deserve a break or just need to try their hand at something new. But there is one certainty in gambling: The house always wins. That’s why casinos spend so much time, money and energy on security.
In addition to physical barriers, casinos are designed to keep you captivated by noise and lights that are meant to distract you from your losses and encourage you to keep playing. Then there’s the booze, which is nonstop and served to players at card tables or slot machines — it lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment.
To help prevent your patrons from losing more than they can afford, it’s essential to establish and enforce limits on how much money you can lose. That’s why reputable casinos promote responsible gambling and offer features like deposit limits, reality checks and self-exclusion tools to ensure players are in control of their gaming experience. They also prioritize fast and reliable payouts, which creates more trust in the brand.