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Casinos don't gamble! But their guests do. The decor and ambiance of a casino is not a gamble that maybe the guests will like it. Everything is well thought out and designed to encourage the casino guests to stay and enjoy themselves. So what are these little gems which keep casinos hitting the jackpot and getting people through their doors?

Any visitor to Las Vegas or a large casino around the world will realise that once they walk through the doors they exit reality and enter a luxurious dreamland. The flashing lights and bright colours get would be gamblers into a trance/euphoric state. So how can a casino be designed in such a way that it encourages people to gamble more and for longer?

By playing the tables in Las Vegas or other large casinos it can be disorienting experience. This is due to the lack of clocks and natural daylight. No watches on dealers, no windows but fresh oxygen, bright lights and the chance to win a million and change your life forever. Players are not able to distinguish between night and day inside the heart of a casino.

Some casinos offer free drinks and snacks to keep players happy so that they are unlikely to move from where they are. Extra oxygen being pumped in to some casinos helps keep players alert and wide awake into the early hours of the morning. I have also heard that pheromones have allegedly been released from US machines to encourage aggressive gambling. But this seems a bit overambitious.

There's nothing like an almost win to encourage a player to keep putting coins into the slot machine or laying their chips on the table. An almost win will get a player to over-estimate their chances of winning. I suppose they think oh! I almost won if I play a bit longer this machine is going to pay out! When a gambler feels their skill can influence the outcome of the game like: throwing the dice they get a feeling of control and power which develops that keeps them gambling longer.

There is also the option of loyalty cards. Sun International has the (Most Valued Guest) MVG card and other casinos have their own version of something similar. From them the casino staff gets to know more about their regular players. What they like, how regularly they play, which of the machines is their favourite, what they like to eat and drink on the floor, when they have won and when its their birthday so they can be made a fuss over. The more you play the better discounts you get. Ideally players want to progress to something like a gold card where they get the biggest discounts and are the first to be invited to big tournaments.

If you get enough points on your card players are then entitled to lots of vouchers for free meals, free transport, free entertainment, free drinks and even free hotel rooms. I am sure it is the pleasure and power principle which keeps people coming back to casinos.