Dark Truth of Online Betting and Fantasy Apps

Hello, friends! In recent years, the popularity of online betting apps in India has skyrocketed. From celebrities to YouTubers and cricketers, everyone seems to be promoting these apps. They are advertised on IPL team jerseys and during matches. But behind all the promotions and promises of making thousands or even lakhs of rupees, the reality is quite different. These apps are designed to take your money and turn you into a gambling addict.

In this article, I won’t mention any specific app by name to avoid any copyright issues. Instead, I will explain their business model in a different way. Online betting apps are essentially the modern version of traditional casinos. Just like casinos, they use psychological tricks to deceive people and make them lose their money. Let’s dive into the tactics used by casinos and how they are similar to online betting apps.

The Origin of Casinos:

The word “casino” actually comes from the Italian word “casa,” meaning house. In American history, gambling establishments were known as saloons. These saloons were social gathering places where people would come to meet, have food and drinks, and engage in gambling activities. Small-scale gambling during social gatherings has been a part of many cultures throughout history, including India.

Casinos were originally created for these social gambling activities. However, today their main focus is to earn as much money as possible by making people addicted to gambling. This is because the primary source of income for any casino is its gambling games.

Types of Casino Games:

Casino games can be broadly categorized into three types: gaming machines, table games, and random number games. Gaming machines, such as slot machines, are played by individual players without involvement from casino employees. Table games like blackjack or craps can be played by multiple players, with some competing against the house (the casino itself). These games are organized and conducted by casino employees called dealers. Random number games like keno or bingo involve generating random numbers using computers or employees.

Many casino games combine elements from these three categories. For example, roulette is a table game conducted by a dealer, but it also involves random numbers. The important thing to understand is that all casino games are designed in a way that guarantees a profit for the casino in the long run. This guaranteed profit is known as the house edge.

The House Edge:

Let’s take the example of roulette, a popular casino game. In American-style roulette, there is a wheel with numbers from 1 to 36, half of which are red and half are black. Players bet on whether the ball will stop at a red or black number. At first glance, it may seem like a 50/50 chance of winning. However, the casino ensures its profit by adding two green-colored zeros on the wheel.

When the ball stops on one of these zeros, the casino wins. This means that the actual chance of winning for players who bet on red or black is 18/38, which is approximately 47.4%. In any casino game, the house edge is the percentage of the total bets that the casino expects to keep as profit. In the case of roulette, the house edge is 2/38, which is approximately 5.26%.

This means that if $1 million is spent on roulette bets in a month, the casino expects to earn a profit of around $50,000. Roulette is considered a game with relatively low house edge compared to other casino games, where the house edge can be as high as 20% or 40%.

The Psychology of Slot Machines:

Slot machines are one of the most dangerous games in a casino. The concept is simple: you press a button or pull a lever, the wheels spin, and if you get a winning combination of symbols, you win. Many people believe that slot machines are purely luck-based, but the reality is far from fair.

Casinos have complete control over the backend computer programming of slot machines. They manipulate the programming to maximize their profit and make players addicted to the game. One way they achieve this is by giving players small wins occasionally to keep them hooked.

Slot machines are designed to create a sense of excitement and near-wins. The symbols on the wheels often stop in a way that makes players feel like they were just a step away from winning. This feeling of “almost winning” triggers excitement and dopamine release in the brain, making players ignore their losses and keep playing.

Psychological techniques like the illusion of control and the gambler’s fallacy are also used to mislead players. The illusion of control is created by allowing players to press a button or lower a lever, making them feel like their actions influence the outcome. The gambler’s fallacy is the belief that after a long losing streak, a win is more likely to occur. In reality, the chances of winning or losing in each game remain the same.

The Casino Environment:

Casinos are designed to keep players inside and addicted to gambling. They create an environment where time seems to disappear. There are no clocks or windows to remind players of the passing time. The sounds, colors, and smells inside the casino are carefully chosen to enhance the gambling experience and keep players engaged.

For example, slot machines produce sounds in a pleasant C note, and the colors and shapes of the buttons are designed to attract and stimulate players’ senses. Perfumes are sprayed in casinos to create a pleasant atmosphere and make players want to spend more time there.

Similarly, online betting apps employ similar tactics to keep users addicted. They eliminate distractions, make the app fast and responsive, and create a sense of control for users. Techniques like autoplaying the next video or reel prevent users from taking a break and encourage continuous usage.

To counter these tactics and improve time management, it’s important to design your environment in a way that minimizes distractions. Disable notification sounds, designate a specific place for your phone, and create a schedule that allows for breaks and focused work. These techniques can help you avoid falling into the trap of addictive apps and gambling.

Remember, the primary goal of casinos and online betting apps is to make money at your expense. It’s essential to be aware of the psychological tricks they use and make informed decisions about your involvement in gambling activities.

Comparison and a lot of it. All these psychological tricks are being applied in a similar way, just like with slot machines. These online betting apps are also computer programmed, with the goal of maximizing profit and user engagement. To achieve this, the app is designed with a bright and engaging user interface, complete with visual cues like flashing lights and cheerful sounds when you win. It’s interesting to note that many of these apps don’t offer a dark mode, even when your phone is set to dark mode. This is similar to casinos where there are no windows, creating an immersive environment.

Notifications are used to create a sense of urgency and trigger impulsive betting. Real-time updates about cricket games and bets are sent to users to instill a fear of missing out (FOMO). Similarly, these apps offer signup bonuses and free bets to incentivize new users. This is comparable to the free drinks or bonuses offered in casinos, enticing people to try their luck. Additionally, these apps provide a lot of data and tools to create an illusion of control. Users can analyze data from cricket matches and use different tools to determine which team is performing better. However, it’s important to remember that this is still a game of luck, and the backend programming and hidden manipulations are unknown to users.

Another tactic used by these betting apps is providing social validation. Leaderboards show the top winners and their scores, fostering a sense of competition. Users are encouraged to share their big winning bets with friends, further fueling their desire to continue gambling.

While I can’t name these apps directly, I hope I’ve explained how these psychological tricks are used to manipulate users and turn them into gambling addicts. It’s important to remember that earning money requires value exchange. Money is obtained when you provide value to others through your work, skills, knowledge, or other means. Expecting money to flow to you without this value exchange is unrealistic. While there are rare cases of lottery winners who haven’t done anything to earn their winnings, they often end up losing it all due to their lack of understanding and appreciation for the value of money.

I hope you found this information informative. If you enjoyed this article, you can read more article on business models.

Thank you very much!