Online casino gaming psychology: 7 factors that bribe us to play on

Many factors can make you feel the need to return to your casino site. Some of these factors are related to psychological tricks that can be used by these platforms. In addition, there are certain psychological predispositions that will be related only to you. A gambling operator has the right to use a variety of methods to lure you to the platform or keep you. 

But in any case, the decision is up to you. You decide whether you want to continue gambling or you want to focus on some other activities. In order to choose a reliable online casino, search the casino online websites, and look for the ones with an option for setting limits for time and money spent on their platform. However, it is useful to know which of the factors can influence you to constantly return to gambling. If you want more detailed information and learn about the psychological effects of gambling, keep reading.

In the list below you can see which factors are included in the text:

  • Easy accessibility   
  • Offer of various bonuses and promotions  
  • VIP programs for loyal players  
  • Gains and realized profits  
  • A sense of aversion to losses  
  • Misconceptions about winnings and loses
  • Other psychological factors (personality characteristics)  

Easy accessibility  

When you are visiting physical casinos, your gambling will depend on their construction time. Some casinos are open 24 hours, but you will not be comfortable traveling there after midnight. Also,it doesn’t matter if the casino is open if your favorite slot you want to play is not available. If you are a poker fan, it will be uncertain whether the poker room will be open. Even if it is, the casino needs other participants before the dealer can start a gambling round. 

That is why gambling platforms, which are available online 24/7 every day of the week, are especially popular today. They will provide these services from the comfort of your home. As long as you have a quality internet connection, you can gamble for real money at any time. These platforms will also attract you by always having players from all over the world who participate in casino games, even when the physical casinos are open. 

In addition, online casinos in the 21st century have become available on mobile devices. Mobile gambling immediately attracted those who were unable due to work and other activities to gamble via PC. Smart betting devices can take the gaming experience to the next level, you’ll agree. Casino platforms available on smartphones provide the most practical form of gambling. Today, everyone carries mobile devices with them wherever they go.

Whether you are outside, at work, or visiting friends, you can access your casino site. This availability and practicality are one of the most significant factors influencing the daily increase of registered users in casinos.

Offer of various bonuses and promotions 

It is one of the main tricks that online casinos use to attract new users and keeps those who have already registered on the platform. Casino platforms will compete to offer you a more tempting bonus package. It is because you will choose their site if it provides you with the best promotion. The first bonus that will come to you when you visit any popular casino site is the welcome bonus. 

These bonus offers are intended exclusively for new users, who have just completed the registration process. The welcome package can also come completely free. This no-deposit bonus does not require you to make any investments in the platform and only by registering, you are eligible to activate it.

Online gambling platforms give regular users various promotions as well. If you are a registered casino player that spends most of his time on slots, free spin promotions will be most suitable for you. You can spend free spins on online slots, where the slot may include a jackpot prize as well. Those who prefer table games (poker, blackjack, or baccarat) do not benefit much from free spins. 

That is why the casino platform prepares a special kind of bonus for these players. These bonuses usually come in the form of free bets, cashback, or promotions directly related to a specific table game. Another way casinos encourage their users to deposit funds on their platform is a reload bonus. The reload offer will require you to pay your second, or any other deposit as a condition of receiving it. 

So, to summarize, bonus offers are the best way for a casino site to promote its services for free. They exist to attract/retain as many users as possible. 

VIP programs for loyal players 

In addition to bonuses and regular promotions, most prestigious online casinos also have a Loyalty Program. These programs reward members who regularly gamble on the casino platform. In principle, they work in the following way – the more you gamble, the more rewards you get.

VIP Programs are made up of several levels. These levels can be called silver, gold, diamond, etc. As you can see from the very name of the program levels, it is obvious that not each of them provides the same amount of rewards. 

To advance through the VIP Program, you must collect casino points by making the appropriate investments. Suppose you invest €100. For that, you can get 10 points and in accordance with that -silver status in the program. For €1,000 you can get diamond status and the best operator rewards. 

That is why most users try to play slots and other games more often. With a larger number of investments, your progress will be faster through VIP Programs. Some of the prizes include free spins, priority customer support, exclusive gifts, and more.  

What is a characteristic of most VIP schemes is that the status you have achieved may fail. That is, if you don’t play for a certain period, you can fall through the levels of the program. With further inactivity, you can return to the starting position. In order not to lose the acquired status, you will want to keep it by gambling on the page. Usually, the period in which your status will be annulled due to inactivity is one month.

Gains and realized profits 

The main reason why you visited the casino site and registered is that you want to make money. If not, you would play casino games for free in their demo version. However, demo versions of casino games cannot offer you any monetary rewards. Free games will not stimulate your “reward system” in the brain. 

So, let us introduce you to how this reward system works. Whether you get the jackpot on the slots or guess the number on the roulette, your “reward system” will turn on. Therefore, the functioning of this system does not depend solely on the amount of profit you have made. 

Our brains have certain parts, which are known as the “reward system”. These parts of the brain are connected primarily with the centers of motivation and pleasure. Rewarding experiences, like occasional wins in casino games, activate dopamine. When releasing dopamine for victory and fun activities, you will experience pleasure and euphoria. 

It will trigger your motivation to repeat the experience that led to the feeling of satisfaction. That is, to visit the casino platform again. Research findings have shown that a positive gambling experience triggers the same amount of dopamine as consuming medications. This is a great indicator of how much the rewards/winnings will influence you to come back and play again.  

We should mention one more thing. There are also individuals who constantly return to gambling, even though they do not have success in games. Some people can play one game, enjoy the fun, win and never come back again. But, there are those who come back again and again. When an individual continues to gamble despite constantly losing, it can be a sign that he is influenced also by some of the other factors mentioned in the text.

A sense of aversion to losses 

While rewards and gains can significantly influence and motivate you to gamble again, there is a loss factor as well. It is known that people are more sensitive and react more violently when they lose than when they win. This is true regardless of the value of money. For example, losing €10 on a slot machine will cause you to have a more pronounced emotional reaction than receiving the same prize. That’s why it happens that certain users set themselves the goal of ‘’regaining what they lost’’. Instead of focusing on winning the game.   

The psychological feeling of frustration or disappointment in these people can be extremely pronounced. It can go to the point that they cannot think rationally. This is why they invest money only to try to recoup previous losses or alleviate those feelings. Such individuals will not be satisfied with less gain than the money they have previously spent. They continue to gamble until the victory coincides with the exact amount of lost funds. The feeling of satisfaction and relief will come when these amounts match. Only then they will be able to focus on other goals like entertainment and profit. Also, it may happen that this ends with the appearance of “spinning in a vicious circle”.

The user can constantly return to the casino to make up for his losses without achieving any winnings. Thus, due to uncontrolled investment and excessive gaming, he can get into even deeper problems. These psychologically, combined with genetic predispositions, can mean that a person will fall into the field of addiction. Therefore, regardless of the profit that the casino makes from such a player who constantly returns and deposits a lot, the platform should limit his game. The methods of restricting users offered by online casinos may differ. It can be deposit limits, self-exclusion for an appropriate period, and more.

Misconceptions about winnings and loses

Many players believe that their chances of winning increase with each subsequent loss. This is totally incorrect. The chances of winning can neither be reduced nor increased when you gamble no matter how much you lose/win. So, your previous wins or loses do not affect your chances. For example, each turn of the roulette wheel is an isolated event. 

It means you will have the same chance as in the previous round. The ball may or may not fall into the number you selected. The same goes for slots. You may be lucky enough to win the jackpot, and you may not win anything. So, your chances of winning are 50/50 no matter which casino game you choose. 

But, some players are mistaken that if they went to the casino and lost several times that they will win next time because it is a logical sequence of events. Some even go to extremes. They avoid the casino sites that paid a large amount of money to their users at a given moment. This is because they think that the funds should be reimbursed until the next payment of the operator. That’s why they often visit those platforms that have not paid for a certain period. They are mistaken that they will have the best chance of winning in these sites.

You need to know that casino games work by Random Number Generator software. This RNG software generates numbers in casino games and determines random outcomes. So, if you have accessed a slot machine, it will depend on the RNG whether you win it or not. No winnings of previous players will affect your victory. Only luck will determine the outcome of your investment and nothing more.

Other psychological factors (personality characteristics) 

Gambling online can be your “shelter” from a variety of problems. You may want to alleviate feelings of helplessness, pain, guilt, anxiety, depression, etc. Casino platforms can entertain you and help you forget about the difficult situation you are currently in. If you win, it will bring you a sense of excitement too. As we have said the feeling of excitement comes as a consequence of activating the reward system in the brain. 

That’s why every time you feel bad, you will want to go back to the casino site. However, we do not recommend avoiding any type of problem in the long run. Casino sites can entertain and distract you. But, you shouldn’t completely isolate yourself from real life.

Your age can also be a factor in determining the amount of time you spend in casinos. Younger people are more prone to exaggeration and a constant desire for excitement and euphoria. That is why online casinos check registered players to determine that there are no minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are prohibited from accessing gambling sites. But we emphasize that the psychological development of a person aged 17 and 18 can be identical. 

Finally, we will mention that the environment can have a lot of influence on you when it comes to gambling. Gambling in Australia will not be the same as in Europe. The mentality of people is different in other parts of the world. Also, if you have friends who often play casino games online, you will probably follow in their footsteps. Likewise, if you live with parents or people who have made a certain profit in an online casino, you will also want to achieve what they are too.

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Mark Meets
Mark Meets
MarkMeets Media is British-based online news magazine covering showbiz, music, tv and movies

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