Repetition

Overview of Casino Games

One of the building blocks of a casino is the repetitive gameplay. In games like Blackjack, everyone bets in a circular pattern and then waits for the dealer to show their cards. One of the longest waiting periods is for the dealer to distribute the chips, if the player wins. At some other casinos, there are physical clocks where the players are forced to bet within the time window. This follows intuition, If a player is forced to wait longer, they may reconsider their decision to place a bet, or consider going elsewhere. Given a short time window with repetitive actions, many players don’t have to worry about “thinking” as much. They may even continue placing the same bet over and over again. This is often the case with slot machines, the ultimate example of this. All the players have to do is hit a button and there is instant feedback from the machine. But, how does this affect gameplay?

Relationship to Failure

An important question to consider is: How does repetition affect your willingness and views on failure? Sigmund Freud, a well-renowned neurologist considered this in his paper, Beyond the Pleasure Principle. In the paper, Freud provides an example of a child purposefully losing his toy: “This was therefore the complete game, disappearance and return, the first act being the only one generally observed by the onlookers, and the one untiringly repeated by the child as a game for its own sake, although the greater pleasure unquestionably attached to the second act…” (Freud). Freud argues that any form of repetition can create pleasure for someone. He goes even further, stating that it’s natural to recreate stressful or painful experiences. While the study is observational, Freud has published numerous papers and is well-respected within the psychology field. His findings directly relate to gambling. Continually placing bets is a repetitive behavior, that allows people to derive pleasure no matter a win or a loss. Like the child who loses their toy in order to get it back, gamblers are risking their money, in the hopes of equal or more being returned. They are less risk averse and fear failing less, as they are deriving pleasure with each bet. This idea of innate behavior is explored further in the Nature vs. Nurture section.

Sources:

Freud, Sigmund, and James Strachey. Beyond the Pleasure Principle. Hassell Street Press, 2021.