No Clocks, No Windows: How Casinos Are Keeping Gamers Inside
Posted: April 29, 2014
Updated: March 5, 2020
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No clocks, no windows policy is designed to keep gamers inside casinos and ultimately lose more money.
Experienced gamers, well at least the ones that are not limiting their experience to playing at online casinos in the United States only, will know that sometime casinos seem strange to say the very least. Sure, these are luxurious places full of shiny and ringy things, but what about the “no clocks, no windows” policy?
If you have been to a real-life casino you’ve probably noticed how fast the time spent there flies. Some gamers show up at a blackjack table at 8 or 9 in the evening and don’t get up until daylight, and it only seems to them that they have only spent a couple of hours hitting and standing on 17.
Casinos are designed to keep gamers inside
Why the unusual phenomenon? 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.
And yes, there are usually no windows in casinos, basically they don’t want you to see that the sun is already high in the sky and you’re still inside doubling your bet on orphelins. These policies are totally in line with the American gambling laws
and basically any other casino regulation around the world.
Professional opinion
In a recent research into the matter carried out by the BBC, a renowned psychologist was asked to provide their opinion. According to them the casinos are trying to make gamers feel “intimate, enclosed, euphoric…womb-like.” Everything to make you relaxed and willing to spend more time (and ultimately money) there.
All the sounds and flashes the slot machines make, the smooth feel of the tables and soft floors are designed to provide gamers with a feel of comfort. If they are going to lose money: they might as well do it in style.
A famous casino designer has also shared his views on the matter. The atmosphere he usually tends to create inside casinos is aiming to make gamers enjoy saying goodbye to their money. Gamers need to stay longer, feel betting and bet more, in order to enjoy this “adult playground.”
Is it the same everywhere?
More or less. The same ol’ tricks are universal around the world. Make gamers feel at home. Put them is a sort of trance with soft music, familiarity and drinks. They will reward you with longer hours spent on the premises and more money lost at the tables and machines.
Some casinos even go as far as spreading pheromones in the air encouraging elevated risk-taking, but of course these practices are not exactly law-abiding.
Why are there no clocks and windows in casinos?
- Ways casinos are trying to keep players inside
- The purpose is to make gamers feel at ease
- Casino tricks are legal under American gambling laws?
Modern casinos are trying to combine several attractions in one place to make punters stay longer and come back more often. Las Vegas casinos have always invented new shows and invited renowned artists to give performances in the casinos.
Now, Vegas casinos host renowned band enjoying residence performances over weeks and months. There are also highly attractive boxing matches held in Las Vegas. These games always draw in crowds. Parts of these will always end up gambling in Sin City.
The new Asian casinos in places like Macau, the Philippines and more are attracting visitors with a bigger variety of exciting time-spending opportunities. There are themed parks, water-park resorts, horse-riding ranches, golf courses, and much more available to gambling tourists.
One of the renowned Asian casino operators shared with the media: “I am here to provide pleasure to my customers so I must keep up with tourist trends. Tourists want variety and that is what I provide. They gamble at night, but by day they go horseriding, golfing, trekking.”
Online and mobile casinos
What about the online and mobile casinos in the United States and elsewhere? The best thing about this type of gambling is privacy. Gamers are free to set up their own environment in the comfort of their homes. Or wherever else they feel like gaming!
Naturally, there are windows and clocks at home. Moreover, punters can also set limits to how much time a day/week/month they can spend at an online gambling destination. Some of the operators even allow players to self-exclude themselves or set up spending limits at online gambling sites. These are the latest trends. All these design tricks help limiting the increase of problem gambling.
Of course there’s no glamour and mini-skirted hostesses at home. Unless you married one, of course! But with the development and advancement of live-dealer online casinos the lines between real-life gambling establishments and gambling at home are blending fast.
Online and mobile gambling provides punters with more freedom and flexibility. In addition, excluding the risks of getting stuck at a casino and losing a considerable amount of money in one sitting.
Can you set limits at land-based casinos?
Naturally, everyone is free to set their own limits. Have a watch with you, or better yet set an alarm on your phone telling you it’s time to deal the last blackjack hand and go home. But it’s considerably harder to implement in real life and requires lots of will power. Some of the land-based casinos can also limit access of players if they ask for this.
Casinos and watches
Having a watch on you at a casino is always a good idea and not simply for time keeping. Casinos are usually a kind of designer showrooms. Hence, gamers often wear their most expensive clothes and accessories to show off in front of their fellow casino-goers.
However, the casinos and gambling lifestyle can also be represented in a watch. A variety of renowned watchmakers produce high-quality timepieces, commemorating luxury lifestyle and casino games. There’s a number of watches with playable casino games integrated into their mechanisms. Moreover, some of them are only accessible to the luckiest gamers. Check out our selection of Top 10 Gambling Watches.