37signals.com— "The result: a completely immersive and compelling customer experience. It's no wonder some people don't know when to stop."
Oct 4, 2006View in Crawl 4
I've been to a casino several times in my lifetime, and often stay overnight. I rarely gamble though, I just enjoy the atmosphere. But then I'm smart enough to be aware of my odds. :)
I've worked in Casino operations for 10 years and these paranoid articles always crack me up.1) How many arcades have windows? Not many, because the uncontrolled lighting washing outs the screens of machines and just generally annoys people. How about supermarkets? That said, there are many casinos that DO have large, well placed windows and skylighting (mostly tribal casinos).2) At least around here, I've never been to a mall with a clock either. I've also never been to casino that forbids all dealers from wearing watches. The only exceptions are roulette and big six dealers who aren't allowed to wear wrist jewelry because the casinos don't want their $20,000 wheels damaged.3) Yes most casinos are hard to navigate, but not much worse than most department stores, or as was said above, Ikea. It usually true that there's no direct entrance to the hotel without going through the casino but this is starting to change at the newer, classier places.4) The noise factor from the slot machines comes more from slot manufacturers. If their machines are more attractive than their competitors then people play them more which in turn means the casinos order more of their products.5) In any given bank of slot machines, all machines are going to have the same payout. However, the slot floor layout IS painstakingly designed to generate the most play in the right areas. This isn't some kind of conspiracy to trick players though.6) True, there's a lot of research on player comfort done. Don't forget the manufacturers that try to sell chairs that allow people to remain comfortable over long periods of time. Someone should pass a law that only allows steel chairs and spot lighting and stop this horrible abuse.7) I guess all casino staff are supposed to wear grey jumpsuits. Couldn't the same thing be said about Disneyland?8) From personal experience I can tell you that most casinos won't serve drunk patrons, just like any other bar. There have been exceptions, and just look at the horrible press those casinos got.9) It's not a passive experience? What the hell kind of argument is that supposed to be?10) Yes, automatic shufflers suck. Yes, they're mainly there to increase hands per hour. 11) The bit about players cards is the only real true, across the board casino conspiracy. They were initially designed to take away "share of wallet" from other casinos by creating loyalty. Then when Vegas got taken over by the marketing folks they realized tier-based marketing was a gold mine. Two or three different tiers of cards are put out like Bronze/Silver/Gold and the players are then constantly reminded about how much better the rewards are for the next tier up. Players at the top level are gently reminded how much more they need to keep playing in order to retain their tier. Computers are constantly mining little details about individuals in order to design the perfect direct marketing campaign. Players who have stopped playing receive incentives to come back.12) The "palpable energy" in the room comes almost entirely from the players. Most front line casino employees I know are burnt out and smoke wrinkled.13) Idiotic. However some casinos pump relaxing hypo allergenic perfumes in the air to cover the smoke.14) There's generally multiple, well advertised cashier windows to cash out at and frequently there are change clerks with carts on the floor cashing out or giving change to players while they are the machine.
They're supposed to. It makes the customer feel like they're working for their purchase. Things tend to be more successful when the customer has (or thinks they have) the control.
Paranoid? YOU sound paranoid. It's not a 'conspiracy'; it's smart business sense.Just because he says casinos don't have windows, doesn't mean that he's been to EVERY casino, nor does he imply that there isn't a single casino in existence that has no windows. When you read an article, you have to take it for what it is, not as something that will apply to every situation in the whole entire world.And you obviously haven't been to a mall in Canada? There are clocks in most stores/restaurants.And places like casinos, department stores, IKEA... are designed to be poorly navigated. If they allowed you to navigate to what you want in an instant, their clients would miss all the other things they could be spending their money on. He never said it was a bad thing, nor did he imply it. And you imply that he did. I don't see why you read this article as paranoid. The person who wrote it was commenting on some successful business tips that could be applied to a similar setting.You sound bitter. Maybe the casinos have jaded your life experience...
sp1r1tOct 4, 2006
Sounds a little communistic... but fun in an odd way.... *heads to a casino groaning*
chompyOct 5, 2006
I live in Vegas and what can I say? Keep flying in here and leaving us your money, we appreciate it!
pajkOct 5, 2006
Yeh, I can quit anytime I want. I just don't wanna right now, ya know?
Closed AccountOct 5, 2006
How this got to the front page is beyond me.
ramazOct 5, 2006
"Vegas is just like every other city."***NOT.***
tocleoraOct 5, 2006
I've been to a casino several times in my lifetime, and often stay overnight. I rarely gamble though, I just enjoy the atmosphere. But then I'm smart enough to be aware of my odds. :)
almtybobOct 5, 2006
I've worked in Casino operations for 10 years and these paranoid articles always crack me up.1) How many arcades have windows? Not many, because the uncontrolled lighting washing outs the screens of machines and just generally annoys people. How about supermarkets? That said, there are many casinos that DO have large, well placed windows and skylighting (mostly tribal casinos).2) At least around here, I've never been to a mall with a clock either. I've also never been to casino that forbids all dealers from wearing watches. The only exceptions are roulette and big six dealers who aren't allowed to wear wrist jewelry because the casinos don't want their $20,000 wheels damaged.3) Yes most casinos are hard to navigate, but not much worse than most department stores, or as was said above, Ikea. It usually true that there's no direct entrance to the hotel without going through the casino but this is starting to change at the newer, classier places.4) The noise factor from the slot machines comes more from slot manufacturers. If their machines are more attractive than their competitors then people play them more which in turn means the casinos order more of their products.5) In any given bank of slot machines, all machines are going to have the same payout. However, the slot floor layout IS painstakingly designed to generate the most play in the right areas. This isn't some kind of conspiracy to trick players though.6) True, there's a lot of research on player comfort done. Don't forget the manufacturers that try to sell chairs that allow people to remain comfortable over long periods of time. Someone should pass a law that only allows steel chairs and spot lighting and stop this horrible abuse.7) I guess all casino staff are supposed to wear grey jumpsuits. Couldn't the same thing be said about Disneyland?8) From personal experience I can tell you that most casinos won't serve drunk patrons, just like any other bar. There have been exceptions, and just look at the horrible press those casinos got.9) It's not a passive experience? What the hell kind of argument is that supposed to be?10) Yes, automatic shufflers suck. Yes, they're mainly there to increase hands per hour. 11) The bit about players cards is the only real true, across the board casino conspiracy. They were initially designed to take away "share of wallet" from other casinos by creating loyalty. Then when Vegas got taken over by the marketing folks they realized tier-based marketing was a gold mine. Two or three different tiers of cards are put out like Bronze/Silver/Gold and the players are then constantly reminded about how much better the rewards are for the next tier up. Players at the top level are gently reminded how much more they need to keep playing in order to retain their tier. Computers are constantly mining little details about individuals in order to design the perfect direct marketing campaign. Players who have stopped playing receive incentives to come back.12) The "palpable energy" in the room comes almost entirely from the players. Most front line casino employees I know are burnt out and smoke wrinkled.13) Idiotic. However some casinos pump relaxing hypo allergenic perfumes in the air to cover the smoke.14) There's generally multiple, well advertised cashier windows to cash out at and frequently there are change clerks with carts on the floor cashing out or giving change to players while they are the machine.
Closed AccountOct 12, 2006
They're supposed to. It makes the customer feel like they're working for their purchase. Things tend to be more successful when the customer has (or thinks they have) the control.
Closed AccountOct 12, 2006
Paranoid? YOU sound paranoid. It's not a 'conspiracy'; it's smart business sense.Just because he says casinos don't have windows, doesn't mean that he's been to EVERY casino, nor does he imply that there isn't a single casino in existence that has no windows. When you read an article, you have to take it for what it is, not as something that will apply to every situation in the whole entire world.And you obviously haven't been to a mall in Canada? There are clocks in most stores/restaurants.And places like casinos, department stores, IKEA... are designed to be poorly navigated. If they allowed you to navigate to what you want in an instant, their clients would miss all the other things they could be spending their money on. He never said it was a bad thing, nor did he imply it. And you imply that he did. I don't see why you read this article as paranoid. The person who wrote it was commenting on some successful business tips that could be applied to a similar setting.You sound bitter. Maybe the casinos have jaded your life experience...
blufferFeb 20, 2008
I wonder what tactics the online casinos use, as obviously some of the methods listed in the article will not work.<a class="user" href="http://www.nobluff.com/dollar-casino-bonuses.php">http://www.nobluff.com/dollar-casino-bonuses.php</a>
mydaveAug 2, 2008
Casino is the worse thing in the world, because there are plenty of people who ones playing never can stop game. and the results are...<a class="user" href="http://search.ashtech.info/The%20Casino%20Experience">http://search.ashtech.info/The%20Casino%20Experien ...</a>
makeitallhappenJan 27, 2010
interesting concept and true in some cases. how do you explain online casinos?