Walk into your average mega casino today, and you may very well not see gambling at all. There may be a massive buffet, a concert hall, shops that rival malls on the outside, or even a nightclub occupying the prime space. While the new format may be shocking for some to realize casinos actually function this way, it’s been in casinos’ best interests to divert their patrons’ attention from gambling.
If people are having fun instead of sitting in front of a slot machine with boredom written across their faces, they’ll continue staying on property and make spending more worthwhile to the casino. They knew years ago that the longer they’d stay, the more money they’d spend, most of it blissfully unaware on non-comped covers, drinks, meals, and more.
Casinos Today Don’t Revolve Around Gambling
There was a time when the casino was just a casino. There was a cheap buffet somewhere and a few ancillary shows to distract boredom, but otherwise, you got what you got with your gambling investment. Yet that’s not enough anymore; casinos are in competition with movie theaters, bowling alleys, and even other themed resorts from a family-friendly perspective. Yes, Las Vegas strives to be the adult Disneyland at times. But it didn’t stop there; now casinos revolve around entertainment options they could host on their own without the concept of gambling.
For example, world-renowned chefs host restaurants with celebrity endorsements. Concert halls attract award-winning shows and tours. Nightclubs without the casino would still draw patrons, so why is gambling included? Because the casinos know that if patrons are paying and engaged for something else, it’s easier to market hope for discretionary income on gambling as well.
Gambling Less Seriously
Not to mention that casinos have made gambling less serious of a notion in practice. Gone are the strict table manners and etiquette required when sitting down at a table game (excluding poker where etiquette is welcome). Now those tables have equivalents with minuscule betting levels and easier rules that aren’t as intimidating as vague recommendations about how much people should bring to the table.
Or they’re offered online. For example, มาวินเบท brings casino-style betting right from someone’s personal device, from bonuses and perks to easier rules for table games (without crazy high bets) to slot machines of all themes.
Along with personalizing online gaming, physical casinos have made the layout socialized instead of isolating, instead of rows of slot machines as far as the eye can see without drinking options or socializing perks. There are bars near tables, social lounges integrated with some machines so people can hang out without gambling if they want but still mingle with friends who are making minimal bets.
Free Entertainment at Major Resorts
One of the biggest secrets from most outside gambling possibilities is how much free entertainment casinos provide. Major hotels in cities book big-name celebrities and don’t charge admission to outdoor venues for concerts or fountain/variety shows. Why? Because a casino will pay for them either way; it seems counterproductive to give away good entertainment for free?
Because free entertainment gets the foot traffic in the door, and crowds breed energy. A patron who comes for a free concert may otherwise never spend any more time on property; however, if they come in early enough, they’ll be bound to need a meal, a drink, or who knows, maybe even their newfound interest in poker.
The Role of Technology
Technology has changed everything, and it’s changed how casinos approach the balance between entertainment and gaming in creative ways. For example, digital slot machines now feel like video game options, the storyline they create is between incentive and entertainment in itself but encourage bonus rounds as mini-games compared to physical slots that allow no such avenues, and graphics rival even video game consoles. Yet they’ve blurred the line between gambling and entertainment even further.
For example, sports betting lounges breed entertainment on their own. Banks of screens showing every game possible make it feel like an audience is watching with comfortable seating and full options for food and drink purchases, it encourages people to spend entire afternoons there just as much as anything else, with or without encouragement through vast betting amounts like any Wall Street venture.
Reality vs Perception
The casinos have realized they’re in the experience business, from a pool complex that mimics South Beach to a luxury spa rivaling wellness facilities in rural areas to shopping areas filled with luxury options instead of tacked on areas for women waiting on their partners, casinos have made these fields legitimately possible business models.
Yet pure gambling can only hold someone captive for so long before it becomes repetitive or stressful. But take that gambling and combine it with dinner and a show and some shopping options plus poolside lounge access or a spa day, even with an appropriate amount of gambling, we’re talking about multiple days in one place instead of hours keeping people captive.
The Financial Benefit
It financially makes sense. Sure, casinos spend millions of dollars housing restaurants and shows and amenities without potential profitability; however, they know these options will keep people on property longer, and they feel new patrons are coming in regularly, and there’s no way gambling alone could create such loyalty or purpose for people returning time and again.
If someone can get someone to spend six hours at a casino instead of two, great, but also compelling them by giving them valid reasons to have amazing dinners and entertaining options throughout extended stays needs to come into account. Entertainment choices will generate revenues themselves yet accommodate casinos needing great revenue through gambling.
What This Means for Patrons
If nothing else, this means that for patrons looking at casinos today, increased options exist that help meet everyone’s needs and reduce the pressure of gambling should anyone want it to be reduced. If someone wants a good night out without breaking the bank (or feeling like they must); great. They can do it. If someone wants to focus solely on gaming but lives with a group with varying interests, that’s easily taken care of with additional options (although those gamblers better keep their requests tidy).
It’s all about choice, does anyone want to sit at the poker table all night? Good! Does someone else want to catch a show before fine dining before hitting the same poker table? Great. There are options. Gone are the days where everyone had to sit silently at their slots waiting in vain for an experience, now there can be a balance between gambling and entertainment that works not only for lots of different personalities but also for other previously excluded audiences who would have never frequented casinos before when they only focused on gambling.
