The Impact of Music on Casino Experience
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Jun 29 2022, 10:06 AM
There have been thousands and thousands of studies about music, concerning everything from its history to the relationship between the musical genres we prefer and our intelligence. Some of such studies also take into account how casinos use music to affect the behavior of their customers. Gaming expert Anna Rosak is familiar with this common interest of scientific research, and she even partook in several studies.
“Everyone who thinks music doesn’t affect them or their playing habits is simply wrong. Just think about it, if heavy metal can make you push that gas pedal when driving a car, or if Studio 54 hits make you dance, why would gaming be any different,” she asks.
Upbeat vs. Slow and Low Music
One of the biggest researches on this topic was done in 2014 by a group of scientists, and published in the prestigious Journal of Behavioral Addictions. The team took a simple test on a group of 100 students with some shocking results. Upbeat music caused casino players to act rapidly and keep a much faster pace while placing bets. Unexpectedly, slower music didn’t motivate them to cease the activity but motivated them to have longer sessions. The type of music played didn’t have any effect on their success, so there is no way there is such thing as “winning music”. The team took a simple test on a group of 100 students with some shocking results. Upbeat music caused casino players to act rapidly and keep a much faster pace while placing bets. Unexpectedly, slower music didn’t motivate them to cease the activity but motivated them to have longer sessions. The type of music played didn’t have any effect on their success, so there is no way there is such thing as “winning music”.
However, according to the research conducted by The University of Sheffield, casino managers and floor managers observe the crowd and, in a way, manipulate their behavior to a certain level. The series of interviews upon which the study was based, revealed how managers have a level of autonomy when choosing a soundtrack, but still have to keep in mind the reputation of the brand, target audiences, and ethical business practices. In the end, their hands are pretty tied, and they have only a couple of playlists to choose from.
“Sure, everyone can have a song that makes them feel like a winner, but in the end, in most cases, it comes down to luck. Even poker players who have gigantic playlists for tournaments that last for days, use it only as a buffer between them and the chatter in the poker room,” explains Anna Rosak.
In her opinion, music is just one of many contributing factors that can affect your overall gambling experience. She considers the psychological state of the player to be far more important: “If you are under stress, chasing losses, or feel revengeful, I don’t need any scientific research to tell you probably won’t be the most responsible gamer. The music that is playing is completely irrelevant for you.”
Land-based vs. Online Casinos
And while land-based casinos can blast any type of music they want through the speakers, at online casinos there is no such option. Still, that doesn’t mean you play online casino games in complete silence. At online casinos, music is more important than ever and comes integrated within the game.
Table games, that attract a more conservative audience, tend to use so-called “elevator music”. This music style is also quite common at brick-and-mortar casinos. It is not offensive to the ears and has a calming effect that helps gamers feel as if they are in a high-class private gambling club. Slots, on the other hand, are more creative than that.
“If you play Egyptian slots there will be flutes and all sorts of Arabic music, Irish slots come with cheerful tunes, and sci-fi games with dance and techno sounds. Sometimes the musical theme works splendidly with the game, and sometimes… well, you might want to turn the sound off,” Anna admits. She also revealed a couple of games, with super popular Ultra Hot Deluxe in the lead, where music is so essential to the whole gaming process you’ll want to turn on the volume to the max.
“Guns N’ Roses slot is an obvious choice, but mostly because of the musical genius of the grunge giants. Book of the Dead has a mysterious soundtrack that makes you feel as if you were in the pharaoh's tomb. Hotline series music is such an amazing throwback to the 1980s, you’ll simply adore it,” claims our expert.
When it comes to online gambling, content providers have all the creative freedom they need to create great music. But, just like on pop charts, some musical scores are flops and there is no help with that. The gambling audience is becoming more demanding each day, and content suppliers will have to focus not only on their desire for gamers to spend more but also on fulfilling all the expectations a customer might have. In the end, it is about the whole package: music, visuals, features, but most importantly gaming mechanisms that give every player a fair chance to hit those paylines.
There have been thousands and thousands of studies about music, concerning everything from its history to the relationship between the musical genres we prefer and our intelligence. Some of such studies also take into account how casinos use music to affect the behavior of their customers. Gaming expert Anna Rosak is familiar with this common interest of scientific research, and she even partook in several studies.
“Everyone who thinks music doesn’t affect them or their playing habits is simply wrong. Just think about it, if heavy metal can make you push that gas pedal when driving a car, or if Studio 54 hits make you dance, why would gaming be any different,” she asks.
Upbeat vs. Slow and Low Music
However, according to the research conducted by The University of Sheffield, casino managers and floor managers observe the crowd and, in a way, manipulate their behavior to a certain level. The series of interviews upon which the study was based, revealed how managers have a level of autonomy when choosing a soundtrack, but still have to keep in mind the reputation of the brand, target audiences, and ethical business practices. In the end, their hands are pretty tied, and they have only a couple of playlists to choose from.
“Sure, everyone can have a song that makes them feel like a winner, but in the end, in most cases, it comes down to luck. Even poker players who have gigantic playlists for tournaments that last for days, use it only as a buffer between them and the chatter in the poker room,” explains Anna Rosak.
In her opinion, music is just one of many contributing factors that can affect your overall gambling experience. She considers the psychological state of the player to be far more important: “If you are under stress, chasing losses, or feel revengeful, I don’t need any scientific research to tell you probably won’t be the most responsible gamer. The music that is playing is completely irrelevant for you.”
Land-based vs. Online Casinos
And while land-based casinos can blast any type of music they want through the speakers, at online casinos there is no such option. Still, that doesn’t mean you play online casino games in complete silence. At online casinos, music is more important than ever and comes integrated within the game.
Table games, that attract a more conservative audience, tend to use so-called “elevator music”. This music style is also quite common at brick-and-mortar casinos. It is not offensive to the ears and has a calming effect that helps gamers feel as if they are in a high-class private gambling club. Slots, on the other hand, are more creative than that.
“If you play Egyptian slots there will be flutes and all sorts of Arabic music, Irish slots come with cheerful tunes, and sci-fi games with dance and techno sounds. Sometimes the musical theme works splendidly with the game, and sometimes… well, you might want to turn the sound off,” Anna admits. She also revealed a couple of games, with super popular Ultra Hot Deluxe in the lead, where music is so essential to the whole gaming process you’ll want to turn on the volume to the max.
“Guns N’ Roses slot is an obvious choice, but mostly because of the musical genius of the grunge giants. Book of the Dead has a mysterious soundtrack that makes you feel as if you were in the pharaoh's tomb. Hotline series music is such an amazing throwback to the 1980s, you’ll simply adore it,” claims our expert.
When it comes to online gambling, content providers have all the creative freedom they need to create great music. But, just like on pop charts, some musical scores are flops and there is no help with that. The gambling audience is becoming more demanding each day, and content suppliers will have to focus not only on their desire for gamers to spend more but also on fulfilling all the expectations a customer might have. In the end, it is about the whole package: music, visuals, features, but most importantly gaming mechanisms that give every player a fair chance to hit those paylines.
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