For as long as Las Vegas has been a premier vacation and gambling destination, there have been rumors regarding the various way's casinos keep players at the tables and the slots. One of the most famous examples was the myth of casino operators pumping pure oxygen into the building to keep visitors awake and alert for longer. While that technique isn't real – or legal – there are plenty of others to ensure you stick around and play more than you originally planned, or want.

1. They Hide the Progression of Time
When you're standing on a casino floor, you may have noticed that there are zero indications of what time it is. There are no windows or skylights to show you if there's light outside, or even any clocks visible. The point is for guests to lose track of time and continue playing without anything, reminding them of the world outside of the casino walls.

2. They Make Sure Everyone Sees a Win
We all know, “the house always wins” over the long run – which is why the casino has no problem loudly celebrating when their guests occasionally get the best of them. The slots and video poker machines may be the best example, with their flashing lights, bells, and sound effects designed to draw maximum attention.

At the tables, crowds will often loudly cheer a hot roll or timely blackjack the same way. People get caught up in the excitement and keep playing longer than they would usually, in hopes of eliciting another celebratory response.

3. They Put Opportunities in Your Path
An incredible amount of sophisticated research has been done to best encourage visitors to gamble when they’re at the casino. One thing all casino owners have learned is that there should always be machines and tables in-between the guests and wherever they’re going.

That’s why the malls and restaurants are never near the main entrances. You always have to walk past rows of slots and dealers to reach your desired destination. The access increases the chances that you’ll throw away a few dollars here and there, which adds up significantly for the house over time.

4. Feeling like a Winner While You’re Losing
One of the most brilliant psychological tools casino operators ever discovered was the use of perks and loyalty rewards. Often, when you're on a losing streak, a casino employee will approach you and offer to comp a meal or tickets to a show. Similarly, when you're a player's rewards member, all of your bets count towards your loyalty points or tier. So, even when you're losing, you're building up credit that can be exchanged for a wide variety of gifts and prizes.

5. They Use Chips Rather than Cash
Another crucial ingredient that casinos use to make guests forget about the real world is using chips rather than normal cash. Spending the colored chips doesn't affect the brain the same way as using actual money; losing isn't as painful as a result.

Also, players who exchange their cash for chips are more likely to gamble it all, since the tokens are only good on the property. Whereas you may quit a few hands early and save your last $20 or so if it were in bills; with chips, you may not want to wait in line at the cashier’s window for a small payout – so you throw it in one last bet or two instead.

6. Lights and Sounds Egg You On
As time goes on, slots and video poker machines become brighter, louder, and more interactive. These days, you'll find a broad range of themes, based on television shows, movie franchises, board games, and anything else you can imagine. Instead of merely featuring spinning reels and colorful symbols, software designers employ all sorts of video clips, sound effects, and thrilling side-games to keep you occupied and stimulated.

While you’re walking by, you hear the loud “Wheel of Fortune,” theme song blasting, for example, and the next thing you know, you’re pulling the one-armed bandit and hoping for an opportunity to spin the wheel yourself!

7. They Give Loyalty Promotions
As we mentioned when discussing the way casinos make you feel like a winner, even when you’re losing; loyalty rewards are essential to keeping players gambling for longer than they plan to. You’ll never feel like you’re truly losing, as long as there are benefits to it on the backend.

Sure, you may gamble away slightly more than you anticipated for now, but that free steak dinner, concert ticket, or comped hotel room takes away the sting of what you’ve lost. The more you play, the better your gifts and benefits – which can be as simple as a preferred parking spot location. It’s not unusual for visitors to play a few extra hands just to maintain their loyalty rewards tier/status and the associated perks.

8. They Give You the Illusion of Control
All casinos rely on their visitors, believing that they're the exception to the rule. The math tells us that gambling is ultimately a fool's errand; the house will always win eventually. But, each of us, expects that the rest of the suckers will do the losing, so we can take home the big, improbable, payout. Establishments foster these feelings in a plethora of subtle ways.

You’ve probably noticed that these days, slot machines typically incorporate different side-games, which allow the player to make different decisions. Instead of merely spinning the wheel, you may get to choose which door to open, to select your bonus, for example.

When guests feel like they have some modicum of control over their outcomes, they’ll stay more engaged while they play. Plus, they’ll maintain the hope of eventually mastering the game, which will improve their odds of winning.

9. They Offer Free Drinks
Of course, the all-time casino classic move is to give away free drinks to anyone gambling on the casino floor. Not only does this make you feel appreciated, you almost feel like you’re getting a bargain, despite the reality being that any money you play in the machines is likely more than those watered-down drinks cost the house. Alcohol also lowers inhibitions and creates a more myopic perspective. The more you imbibe, the more singularly focused on gambling you become.

The Wrap Up
Like any massively successful industry, casino owners have spent the last hundred years or so singularly focused on attracting new visitors and keeping them playing for as long as possible. With each game skewed to give them a mathematical edge, the numbers will always work out for the business eventually.

As a result, they employ the strategies mentioned on this page, along with an ever-growing list of other tricks and techniques to keep players happy and gambling more. Whether that can be accomplished with a lack of clocks and windows, fake money, free drinks, and all the other bells and whistles – or you’re more interested in racking up loyalty rewards. It doesn’t matter.

Now, you’ll know what to look out for whenever you’re gambling at a brick-and-mortar casino. Of course, if you want a less manipulative experience, you can always turn to legit online casinos for all of your gaming needs!