For assignment 3, I was asked to go to an unfamiliar place and observe the behaviour of people in that place. Me and 3 other girls from Graphics decided to go to the new casino in Dundee as none of us had ever been to a casino before. The only knowledge I had of casino's prior to going was what I have seen on tv or in films, usually quite scary, high energy las vegas scenes! We unfortunately chose a very windy, rainy night to go so we were freezing by the time we got there!
Luckily, the bouncer on the door used to do security at my work so I know him relatively well, it made it instantly more relaxed as he explained what we had to do, where to go etc, which I would not have known otherwise. We first had to get our photo's taken for our membership cards as you require one to get into the casino. It was quite invasive from the get go, they asked for our names, addresses and quickly took a photo, it was almost as if they were taking note of who you were right away in case you cheated or such like.
After getting our membership cards we headed into the main part of the casino. It was reasonably quiet, unexpectedly as from my pre-conceptions of casinos I thought they would be busy and high energy, but it was actually quite relaxing. One of the first thing we noticed was the colours and lights. Red was a re-occurring colour throughout, the staff were all dressed in a deep red and a lot of the decor was of a brighter shade. I looked up what the colour red evokes to see if there is a reason for this choice and I discovered that red is "considered an intense, or even angry, color that creates feelings of excitement or intensity" which possibly means it could encourage people to feel more excited and possibly spend more money or get more into the action. Red is also "associated with warmth and comfort" which helps to create a relaxing atmosphere, again encouraging people to maybe be more forthcoming in spending their cash. There was also a lot of dazzling lighting, bright and colour changing which added to the feeling of excitement.
We sat down at the bar and tried to subtly observe what was going on around us. The majority of people in the casino were male. Most of the females that were there were either in groups like us or accompanying a partner. Most of the men were quite casually dressed, a few wore suits but the majority were not 'dressed up'. Pretty much all of the females made more of an effort and were more dressed for a night out, possibly as they more than likely intend to go out after. The females that we seen were generally quite young, and looked around our age. The males were generally more middle aged, and many of them were Chinese and most of the males appeared to be there alone.
The atmosphere was quite quiet and relaxed, not what I expected. Most of the noise came from the waiting staff who chatted and joked around a bit. The staff at the betting tables were more serious. They were dressed in deep red shirts, but not too formal. The staff seemed focused and concentrated on the job, they were quite different from the waiting staff who were more relaxed and playful. The waiting staff often came over and asked us if we needed any drinks etc so it felt as if we were being looked after which was quite nice.
Since I knew the security guard he introduced us to one of the members of staff who showed us how all the betting machines worked and explained about minimum bets etc which was very helpful as otherwise I wouldn't have a clue. There was information leaflets available but we didn't think they were that helpful to someone who had no prior knowledge of the games. If we had not had someone showing us the ropes it would have been a lot harder I think and we probably would not have placed bets at all. The betting machines were not busy and it was the only thing we put money on.
The betting tables were busier. Most of the people at the tables seemed to be there alone and they sat away from each other, hunched as if it was quite intense. There were several spectators around the tables, the vast majority wearing jackets which seemed to suggest they were interested but wanted to show they were not staying for the game and could leave whenever. there was a cloakroom at the main entrance which was free and it was warm inside so it was strange they all seemed to keep their coats on. The people watching seemed very close as if they wanted to be part of the action but at the same time they were uninvolved in terms of placing bets and had jackets on as a kind of defense which was quite interesting. When we went over to the tables to watch however, it kind of felt like the staff kept watching us and it made us feel very uncomfortable.
Although you are pulled in by tables having minimum bets of 10p. You have to put at least £5 into the machine. Once you begin playing it doesn't seem quite real that you are spending away and all of us got quite caught up in the thrill of the game. I can see why people get quite addicted and why people move on to place bigger bets on the table.
When we left the casino, we were again treated very well. As it was raining we were given ponchos and another member of staff pointed out that we could have a taxi phoned for us. The staff at the door said bye and were friendly as if they were encouraging to come back. As we waited for our taxi a man rushed past us and quickly stormed out the door. The staff had a bit of a joke about how people are quick to leave once they lose which is quite interesting because it seems like such a nice, entertaining place, but only if you're winning.
I enjoyed our trip to the casino. I had a good night out without taking it too seriously and it was interesting just to watch people subtly in an environment that some people do take very seriously. The security guard I know informed us that there are many 'regulars' who often don't place bets lower than £500, showing that for some people it is a very serious game, where there is a lot at stake where as for us it was just a bit of fun. The staff and interior of the place definitely try to make you feel more relaxed as this probably makes people more likely to spend money. I think the experience would have been slightly different if there was not someone there I knew because I might have felt a bit more nervous and unsure but on the other hand all of the staff seem quite eager to help so I think if we stood around looking confused for long enough, we would have been shown eventually.
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