Everyone who has ever tried gambling knows how easily you lose track of time. The dazzling slot machine, the sound of the spinning roulette wheel, and the big wins take you into a completely different world. However, now that online casinos have become extremely popular, attracting and keeping players engaged might be tricky.
Due to this, online casinos have started offering bonuses. These online casino bonuses lure players in with the promise of free money or extra spins. The thrill of getting something without spending our own cash, coupled with the brightly coloured graphics and the big wins, subconsciously activates the reward centres in our brains.
Today, we’ll talk more about the psychology of bonuses and learn how online casinos keep you playing for hours!
Gambling Psychology: Does it Really Exist Somewhere in Our Brains?
Online casinos have learnt how to intrigue the basic human desire: the need for risk and exploring the unknown. However, each individual is different, so there are many views regarding this concern. Depending on your gambling style and your preferred games, you perceive the casino psychology in your unique way. Sometimes, you’re not even aware that it exists.
For some players, the gambling psychology translates to the intimidating uncertainty of the spinning roulette wheel. For others, this is depicted by the tension of each card that is dealt. Regardless of your feelings towards this topic, one thing is sure. Online casinos have mastered the understanding of your emotions.
As a result, they can easily develop an environment that will tap into your need for risk and winning while leaving you unaware of this. With every click on your screen, you embark on a journey that embraces the unpredictable outcomes of the game. So, while there’s no such thing as gambling in our DNA, there is part of exploring the unknown and the need for winning.
The Attraction of the Online Bonuses
Online casino bonuses work as side quests in a video game. In other words, they are much more than just free spins or money. Casinos cleverly design them while following the rules of the game that allow you to use them.
Aside from this, online bonuses inject a shot of psychological rewards. At the same time, they add an extra layer of entertainment. Because of all the intertwined elements, it is not just about winning or losing. Players start to play hard to complete smaller objectives, such as collecting more points, unlocking new levels of games, and more.
However, online casinos understand this, which is why they create an immersive experience. So, instead of sitting in your bed and just clicking on your screen to spin the reels or the wheel, you feel a wave of excitement that makes you more engaged with the game.
Casino Rewards and Their Power
You must be wondering which part of our brain attracts us to the big wins and modern online casino games. The answer is really simple. When you win, the dopamine levels in your brain increase, and you tend to do more of what makes you happy!
Dopamine – The Source of Pleasure
Dopamine is the conductor of your brain’s orchestra of pleasure. Basically, dopamine directs the happy feelings and the excitement of your experience when you play your favourite online casino game. So, casinos have come up with an idea.
They started exploiting these internal actions to keep you hooked on the feeling. More precisely, the online bonuses help them to make you play for a longer while. This is because every chime of the slot machine or every win on the roulette wheel activates this powerful instrument in your brain.
Of course, this is an ongoing and unbreakable cycle. The wins trigger the burst of dopamine, creating a feeling of excitement in your head. Therefore, you keep playing until you experience the thrill again and again.
Variable Rewards
One crucial thing that you need to keep in mind is that dopamine thrives on surprises, not just the big wins. Due to this, online casinos employ a variable reward system. In other words, both your bonuses and the wins will arrive at random times, leading you to play longer.
For the whole time, your brain is in a state of eager anticipation. You start guessing when you will achieve a win and whether the next spin will be it. All of this uncertainty fuels the release of dopamine, which creates a rollercoaster of fun and engagement, affecting your rational decisions.
This uncertainty fuels the release of dopamine, creating a rollercoaster of excitement that guides your decisions. As casinos understand that you will keep coming for more, they constantly launch new and unique games with different bonuses. Also, they often update the promotions and bonuses section on their websites.
It’s Not Only Dopamine
While dopamine leads the party, there is a whole system in your brain that reacts when you gamble. Each of the neurotransmitters joins the dopamine in the psychological casino excitement and plays a significant role.
Serotonin is the supporting character, which adds a layer of satisfaction with every win or trigger of the bonuses. More so, endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers, and they contribute to enhanced pleasure and further boost your entertainment.
Lastly, there’s adrenaline, which is always part of your brain’s chemical reactions when you’re gambling. Thanks to it, you feel your heart pounding and the blood pumping through your veins with every close win and unexpected action.
Online Bonuses: Do They Help You Prevent Losses?
All of us have the fundamental instinct to avoid losses. This is called loss aversion. Of course, online casinos have studied this part of our brains, too, so they know how to trigger this feeling and help you prevent it by continuing to play. This is where online bonuses come into play.
We have already established that online bonuses are much more than flashy awards and promotions. They’re your emotional support in scenarios where you start losing while gambling. Due to this, we can say that they often act as a safe shield against the inevitable losing streak.
Imagine you’re playing your favourite slot game. You’ve set the bets, started playing, and you’re having an excellent gameplay. You connect symbols, earn money, and suddenly, you begin to lose. So, what can you do now? You don’t want to stop the game, but if you continue, you’ll probably lose everything.
Online bonuses are here to save you! Out of nowhere, you notice that you have activated free spins, meaning you’re not wasting your money at the moment. Due to this, these bonuses give you a chance to take a breath and reduce the pressure on yourself.
After a few free spins, you match more symbols, and the prize continues to grow. This means that online bonuses have achieved their goal. They helped you manage your emotional rollercoaster and kept you engaged for a while.
Factors that Online Casinos Use to Keep You on the Hook
Now that you understand why online casinos offer you bonuses and how they tackle the part of your brain that makes you play more, let’s get an overall image of online casinos. Aside from online bonuses, they implement other techniques that keep you engaged:
- Visually appealing themes and colours
- User-friendly and intuitive interfaces
- Engaging sound effects and music
- Gamification elements
- Bonuses and promotions
- Loyalty programmes
- Social interaction
- Personalisation
- Loss aversion
- Near misses
- Dopamine rush
- Reinforcement rewards
Final Words
Online casinos have mastered the technique of understanding and using bonuses. They made the whole concept a lot more than just giving you free spins. With their help, they keep you attracted to the game and eager for bigger wins.
As a result, you can spend hours and hours playing your favourite online casino games and lose perception of time. After all, it seems like every casino approach is based on psychological impact.
