What Techniques are Video Games Borrowing From Casino Games?
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Many popular modern games have taken a page or two out of the book that casino games and platforms are reading from. With so many different games clamouring for the attention of gamers, any way that games can make themselves more appealing is leapt at by developers, including using techniques that have been perfected in the casino industry.
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If you’ve ever played a modern video game and thought, “This feels a bit like gambling,” you’re not imagining things. Today’s gaming landscape is loaded with systems, sounds and mechanics that take heavy inspiration from casino-style play.
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From loot boxes to flashy win animations, developers have been quietly borrowing the psychological techniques that online casinos have perfected over decades.
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And if you’ve ever found yourself playing just one more round, despite not even enjoying it anymore, you might be caught in one of these mechanics without realizing it.
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Let’s break down the ways video games have adopted and adapted casino strategies to keep you spinning, shooting and swiping for longer.
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The rise of loot boxes
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Loot boxes are perhaps the most direct parallel to slot machines in gaming. You pay (with either real money or in-game currency) to open a mystery box, and what you get is random. It could be a powerful weapon skin, a rare outfit, or a duplicate item you already have.
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Sound familiar? That’s because it’s almost identical to pulling a lever on a slot machine and hoping for three cherries.
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Games like Overwatch, FIFA and even Call of Duty have implemented loot boxes as central progression or cosmetic systems. And just like casino games, these loot boxes are engineered to:
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- Use lights, sound effects and slow reveals to generate excitement
 - Display rare rewards just often enough to keep you coming back
 - Reward you more when your friends are watching (yes, this is real, social amplification is a factor)
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In fact, it is theorized that players who buy loot boxes are significantly more likely to experience gambling-related problems. The resemblance isn’t just cosmetic, it’s psychological.
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Daily rewards and login bonuses
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Casinos have long used “loyalty programs” to keep players coming back. These systems reward regular visitors with points, perks, or small gifts, usually just enough to keep you walking back through the doors.
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Video games have embraced this full force. You’ve probably seen it: Log in today and get a reward. Log in tomorrow, and the reward gets better. Miss a day, and you reset to zero.
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Games like Genshin Impact, Clash of Clans and Fortnite use this “daily reward” system to encourage habitual play. It’s not about what you’re doing in the game, it’s about showing up.
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This mirrors how casinos keep players tethered with free drinks, bonus credits and comped hotel stays. It’s all about building a routine you don’t want to break.
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Grinding for unpredictable rewards
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Imagine pressing a button and getting a reward, but only sometimes. And the more you press, the greater the urge to keep going. That’s what psychologist B.F. Skinner discovered when testing behavioral conditioning in animals, now dubbed the “Skinner Box” model.
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Casino games thrive on this unpredictability. So do video games.
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Think about how many modern titles make you grind dozens of hours for a rare item or cosmetic. Games like Destiny 2, Diablo, or even MMORPGs like World of Warcraft rely on this intermittent reward system to keep you hunting for that elusive drop.
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You don’t know when you’ll get what you want, but the randomness keeps you hooked.
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Flashy visuals, sounds and feedback Loops
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When you hit a jackpot in a slot machine, it’s not just the reward, it’s the experience. Lights flash, coins clink, music swells. It’s a sensory overload designed to amplify your emotional reaction and burn it into your memory.
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Video games have borrowed this exact sensory feedback technique.
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Open a loot box in Overwatch or score a headshot in Call of Duty, and you’re greeted with satisfying sound design, screen shakes and vibrant animations. It makes you feel powerful and encourages you to chase that high again.
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And much like casino games, these effects are rarely tied to actual in-game progression. They’re about perception, not performance.
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Microtransactions turn real money into play chips
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Casinos convert your cash into chips because it detaches the value of money from the act of spending. You’re not losing $100, you’re just down a few chips. That psychological buffer makes spending easier.
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Video games now employ the same technique.
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Instead of buying items directly with money, games use virtual currencies like V-Bucks, Crystals, or Gold Coins. Often, you buy these currencies in bundles that don’t match item prices exactly. You might need 1,200 coins to buy a skin, but you can only buy 1,000 or 2,000 at a time.
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This slight mismatch means you’re always left with extra currency, encouraging more spending and reducing the sting of cost, just like in a casino.
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Jackpot psychology in battle royale games
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Even the Battle Royale genre, with games like PUBG, Apex Legends, and Fortnite, uses casino-inspired thinking. The concept is simple: Everyone enters, but only one player wins big.
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That’s classic jackpot structure.
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It’s no different than hundreds of people playing a progressive slot machine, each hoping to be the lucky one to win the prize pool. And when you do win a round in a 100-player match? You get a dopamine hit that lasts far longer than a typical level-up.
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This “winner-takes-all” setup keeps players returning, much like the allure of mega wins keeps punters feeding coins into machines at a casino.
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Even the waiting is gamified
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Here’s a fun twist. Many mobile games have “wait timers” where an action takes real-world time to complete, unless you pay to skip it.
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Do you think that sounds like a casino queue for high-stakes tables, or maybe waiting for your bonus spins to recharge?
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It’s intentional. This tactic keeps you thinking about the game long after you’ve closed the app. The game never really ends; it just keeps calling you back.
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Video games have evolved into something much more complex than the classic single-player cartridges you grew up with. Today, they’re ecosystems that are designed to retain your attention and your money by borrowing the most effective retention techniques from the casino floor.
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Now that you’ve seen the parallels, you’ll start noticing them everywhere, from the spinning animations to the celebratory jingles and the daily reward nudges. Whether you’re dominating in a shooter or just logging in to collect coins, you’re playing in a space shaped by decades of casino psychology.
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