The Hidden Impact of Color Schemes on Game Choices

The Hidden Impact of Color Schemes on Game Choices
Alicia Butler
Written by:
Alicia Butler
Andrew McDermott
Fact checked by:
Andrew McDermott
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Updated: August 15th 2025

A lot of market research goes into casino game designs. The right colors can send subconscious messages to players’ brains, convincing gamblers to play slots they might have otherwise overlooked.

Color schemes can impact your game choices exponentially. Even if a game has a low RTP, you might choose to play it if the colors represent luck or fortune.

Discover how the hidden impact of color schemes can affect your game choices and the most popular colors used in casino game design.

How Color Schemes Can Impact Your Game Choices

They Can Make You Opt for One Game Over Another: Most of us (even the savviest players) don’t know when our choices aren’t “ours” at all; most of the choices we make when interacting with products are fueled by marketing. This is also the case at casinos.

Casino game developers utilize color schemes to evoke a specific feeling or establish a storyline. When you choose a game, you’re not really “choosing” it. Instead, the game chooses you.

At online casinos, you’ll see a rainbow of colors, including ones that make you feel relaxed, excited, engaged, and hopeful.

Greens and reds are considered “lucky” colors and are used in casino games to make gamblers believe they might be lucky if they choose such a game over the others.

They Can Encourage You to Keep Playing: A lot of online casinos use darker color schemes; the reasoning behind this is similar to why Vegas casinos are so dark – so you don’t want to leave and continue to play.

Color schemes are chosen based on market research. The more likely a gambler is to continue to play (and spend money), the more likely the developer will use that color scheme.

They Can Keep You Awake: While darker colors are chosen to lull you into feelings of contentment, bright colors can keep you awake (and more likely to continue playing).

If you find you’re more likely to continue spinning the reels long after you wanted to stop, bright color schemes could be to blame.

Why Game Developers Choose Certain Color Schemes

If you’ve ever wondered why games make you feel a certain way, you’re not alone. Here are some of the most common reasons why developers choose color schemes for their games.

Yellow

Yellow is an exciting color, so developers use different hues if they want you to feel energized. Popular slots that feature yellows in their designs include Midnight Pursuit, Mad Hit Jokester, and Gates of Olympus.

Wild can rev up your emotions, convincing you to keep spinning those reels.

Green

Green is generally considered a “calming” color, but it is also a color that represents money and luck.

Jokers Jewels Cash, Bill & Coin, Luck of the Irish, 7 Clovers of Fortune, and Finnegan’s Treasure all use green in their designs. Your subconscious mind might believe that you’ll win big if you play these games.

Red

The color red represents different emotions in different cultures. In some cultures, it represents anger or emotion; in others, it represents luck.

Game developers choose the color red for their games when they want to invigorate or ignite their players. Since red is typically associated with luck in some Asian cultures, it’s often used in “lucky” Asian-themed games like 88 Fortunes, Fortunes House, and Dragon’s Luck.

Purple

Purple is used in a lot of slot games, especially mystery-themed or magic-themed slots. Some magic-themed slots that feature a lot of purple include Madame Destiny Megaways, Magician’s Secrets, and Voodoo Magic.

Purple is also a color that’s associated with royalty. Most kings and queens are very rich, so playing a game with purple might tell your subconscious that you could live like royalty if you play it.

Other games that feature purple include Zeus Kingdom of Riches, Mad Hit Diamonds, and Sweet Bonanza.

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Alicia Butler

Alicia is OddsSeeker's Lead Editor & Fact Checker! She's been reviewing online casinos, sportsbooks, and other gaming since 2021, but has well over a decade of experience writing and editing for some of the largest online magazines and brands since 2011! Over her career, Alicia has worked as a travel and entertainment writer & editor contributing to widely read digital publications such as The Spruce, The Balance and The Spruce Pets, VeryWell, and TripSavvy. Alicia makes sure our readers can trust every word - holding both our team & our gaming operator partners to the highest standard to ensure that our readers always have the best possible experiences playing gaming online! Beyond OddsSeeker, Alicia is a marketing expert, entrepreneur, and avid traveler based in Connecticut!

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