When you walk into a casino, you’re surrounded by twinkly lights, the sound of clinking slots, and a frenzied energy that makes even the most jaded person take a step back and marvel. But it’s not all fun and games—it’s a serious business with a lot at stake. The popularity of casinos is changing, and event planners need to stay on top of trends to make sure they’re offering their clients the best experience possible.
Casinos use a variety of strategies to keep players coming back and gambling longer. For example, they waft scented oils throughout their ventilation systems to create the illusion of a manufactured blissful experience. Additionally, they program slot machines to give near-misses to keep players playing. These near-misses trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure and reward.
There are also several technological advances that casinos have used to improve their security and the quality of their games. For instance, some casinos now offer chips with microcircuitry that allows them to monitor wagers minute by minute and warn the players when there are deviations from expected outcomes. They have also introduced electronic roulette wheels and dice that are monitored for statistical anomalies.
The most successful casinos understand that it’s not just the house edge that matters, but also the house variance, which is how much money a casino expects to lose on each game. They employ mathematicians to help them calculate these probabilities and find ways to minimize them.