What’s With Ameristar Kansas City’s ‘Bloodstain Design’ Carpet?

Casino carpets are infamous for their busy bad taste and occasionally stomach-churning designs. But the ‘bloodstained’ carpet in the hallway of one Kansas City casino was more like something from The Shining, Redditors agreed this week.

“The casino hotel I stayed at a few days ago went with blood-stained circuit board as its carpet pattern,” noted the opening poster, “Skittles_the_Dawn,” in the thread.

The post was accompanied by an image of a casino-hotel corridor with a geometric design across the floor and blood-red splotches that at times appear to seep out from under the doors of the rooms.

You staying at the Bates Motel or Overlook Hotel? If you see creepy twins RUN!” quipped one Redditor.

“This way they don’t have to clean up after real bloodstains! Life hack,” wrote another.

While the opening poster does not name the casino pictured, Casino.org has identified it as the Ameristar Kansas City. And we can confirm that the resort is not a scary place. It’s a family-friendly entertainment hub.

So, what is with the carpet?

The Casino Carpet Myth

There have long been rumors that casino carpets contain subliminal messages designed to keep you gambling. The carpets are busy and even “ugly” to ensure you keep your eyes on the table, according to one theory.

Some Redditors suggested this could be the secret behind Ameristar’s carpet, positing the bloodlike splotches could be designed to keep you on the gaming floor because you’re too scared to go back to your room.

Considering it’s a casino, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did research on everything that kept guests out of their rooms and encouraged them to be in the casino,” theorized one.

However, there is no real evidence for the “messages in the carpets” theory. Casino carpets are probably the way they are because colorful patterns help hide wear and tear from the often-intoxicated masses and the stains they generate – food, drink, and, yes, maybe even the odd spot of blood.

Bleeding Dye?

But one Redditor had perhaps the most plausible suggestion of all. This was neither a bad design nor was it an effort to conceal a crime or a mind-control experiment. It was merely a mistake that has yet to be rectified.

It looks more like portions of the ends of the rolled-up carpet were hit with some form of chemicals during the delivery, and the red dye bled out,” the poster suggested. “Contractors don’t care to mention it. They did their jobs and left. This is so bad there is no way it wasn’t a series of unfortunate events.”

And now you mention it, that’s kind of what it does look like.

Casino.org has reached out to the casino’s operator Boyd Gaming for comment.