Meanings
proper nounthe Las Vegas effect
- computingA distracting effect on the user resulting from overuse of colour in a user interface.
This helps make a user interface seem somehow friendlier and easier to use. However, this "Las Vegas" effect, as I discussed in Chapter 1, can actually distract users from their tasks.
1994, Theo Mandel, Windows vs. OS/2, the GUI-OOUI War, Van Nostrand Reinhold, →ISBN, page 109
Origin
An allusion to the bright lights of the buildings and casinos in Las Vegas.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Las Vegas effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Las%20Vegas%20effect
MLA
“Las Vegas effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Las%20Vegas%20effect. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Las Vegas effect,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Las%20Vegas%20effect.
Source: Las Vegas effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.