There’s something incredibly intoxicating about stepping inside of a casino, being greeted by the scent of excitement and surrounded by all the lights and noise. But all that doesn’t happen by accident – casinos use clever tricks and the weaknesses of human psychology to keep you playing and spending money long after you should have left.

In Casino, director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Leonardo DiCaprio craft a period piece that’s more than just about Sin City. The movie lays bare how the mafia’s grip on Vegas was gradually loosened and replaced by massive gambling corporations. The movie also shows the opulence of the casinos and the excitement of players whittling away the hours at the tables or slots.

Among Friedman’s principles for casino design was eliminating all indicators of time, such as clocks and windows, to prevent people from realizing how long they had been there. His reasoning was that if you knew how much time had passed, you might be tempted to spend more money or try to recover your losses.

While demographics provide useful information about your audience, you need to dig deeper than that to understand what your customers really want and why they visit your casino. Group business is one of the biggest sources of revenue for many casinos and it’s important to target groups as they are searching for a place to host their event. Using Cvent’s Competitive Market Ads and Search Ads can give your casino the exposure it needs when event planners are looking to book group business, helping you earn more revenue from this audience.