# Why so much brown in casinos?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 17, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463 "2010-12-17T02:57:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/1 "2010-12-17T02:57:57Z")
There’s seven casinos in my area, all of them are decorated with the colors brown, red, orange to a degree.
I understand why casinos would use the colors red and orange. Those colors are supposed trigger excitement.
But what about brown? How is the color brown supposed to impact gamblers?
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### Author:  [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/2 "2010-12-17T03:31:38Z")
I haven’t noticed any more or less brown in most casinos as compared to most other types of interior commercial spaces.
Brown’s a neutral, and it’s pretty much the standard interior decorating neutral other than white.
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/3 "2010-12-17T07:44:05Z")
The nearest casino to me only closes for half a day on Christmas. Every other day it’s 24/7. I’m guessing it has a lot to do with hiding dirt.
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### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/4 "2010-12-17T08:30:29Z")
All red and orange wouldn’t be exciting and stimulating so much as just plain hideous. You need a quieter, more neutral colour against which to display the red and orange. Brown works better for this than blue or green.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/5 "2010-12-17T10:30:08Z")
To conceal the grime from all the smoking?
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/6 "2010-12-17T14:24:57Z")
> [@UDS](#):
>
> All red and orange wouldn’t be exciting and stimulating so much as just plain hideous. You need a quieter, more neutral colour against which to display the red and orange. Brown works better for this than blue or green.
That gets my vote. It matches.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/7 "2010-12-17T16:09:54Z")
Diamonds02, where do you live? Who owns the casinos? I’m wondering if they are owned by American Indian tribes (as is the case in parts of the U.S.). Perhaps they are decorated in what they consider to be traditional tribal styles. Here’s a list of all the casinos in the U.S. It notes which are American Indian:
> **[List of casinos in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Casinos_in_the_United_States)**
>
> This is a list of casinos in the United States.
>
> Formerly Argosy Casino
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/8 "2010-12-18T23:08:20Z")
Most casinos I’ve seen on land are similar in this regard. I always assumed it was an intentional strategy with the objective of directing your attention to the brightly light tables and slot machines. And then the carpets are usually dark and elaborately patterned for the same reason as in any large interior space open to the public–dark patterns hide the stains better.
I think the casinos I saw on ships, both times we went on a cruise, did have windows.
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### Author:  [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/9 "2010-12-18T23:34:09Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> Most casinos I’ve seen on land are similar in this regard. I always assumed it was an intentional strategy with the objective of directing your attention to the brightly light tables and slot machines.
This is what I was going to say. Everything in a casino is designed to draw your attention to the games. Another thing you’ll have trouble finding in a casino is a wall clock.
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### Author:  [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-brown-in-casinos/564463/10 "2010-12-19T05:15:51Z")
[QUOTE=Rusty Ryan]
They say taupe is very soothing.
[/QUOTE]
Oceans Eleven