It should come as no surprise that casinos resort to all kinds of methods and strategies to keep their customers pleased, so they feel encouraged to linger more and spend extra money.
But have you ever wondered what are the main principles of the psychological influence casino’s sounds and lighting system have on the gambler’s minds?
Casino’s sounds and lights: the ultimate marketing strategy
The casinos have been known to be masterfully designed to make their customers feel as comfortable as possible, so they will bring profit to the business. The background music element makes no exception: it is considered that well-thought music in casinos is one of the key elements to success.
When walking inside a casino, one can easily notice there are no silent gambling lobbies. All the music compositions are wisely selected, and their change is meant to seem without a pause. There is a smart reason behind this technique: the flow of music makes people forget about going anywhere else, and it helps induce a calm and relaxing mood. Gamblers confess to feeling almost hypnotized by the music played in casinos.
It has also been scientifically proven that the sound of slot machines encourages casino gamblers to take more risks when playing, for they are given a feeling of comfort that winning is always nearby, within their reach.
Background music mustn’t turn too loud in casinos – it must be audible, but never overpowering. The level of the sounds should also avoid becoming a sensory-overload experience for gamblers, as it can lead to a negative impact, opposite to the relaxing mood casinos try to create.
But what kind of music do casinos tend to opt for? It quite depends on the theme of the casino and the overall ambiance they are trying to evoke through hearing.
We have found that casinos tend to lean towards both vintage music and powerful playlists that feature popular songs from over the years. While vintage music is trying to evoke a Hollywood Golden Age feeling, having gamblers listen to old favorites can make them more likely to hang for a little longer at the slot machines.
It turns out that several gamblers tend to associate the quality of a slot machine with the quality of the ambiance music playing at the time of their rounds. Additional sound effects orchestrated by the casino in the background, like coins dropping, can also alter the perception of players over a playing round, making them more eager to keep gambling.
Along with music, the lighting provided by the casinos is also a powerful sensory stimulus. People are naturally attracted to places with good lighting, whereas dark areas tend to be mostly avoided. But there is more to the lighting psychology of the casinos than the illumination level.
It turns out that casinos often use colored light when trying to implement a certain atmosphere. It is a fact widely known that colors are associated with certain mental and emotional responses. For example, golden light has an opulent ring to it, offering guests a luxurious feeling.
The lighting of a casino is usually part of the casino’s strategy of creating the right atmosphere that inspires gamblers to spend more time playing and hence invest bigger sums of money into games. It all depends on the kind of ambience the casino is trying to evoke.
For some casinos, the atmosphere they are trying to create might imply an energetic mood, so they will go with implementing flashing and colored lights. In other cases, a soothing atmosphere with plenty of natural lights may be the goal.
It all comes down to implementing a well-thought marketing strategy that creates the perfect mood for gamblers to facilitate great money spending through the right choice of music and lighting.
The role of music in online casinos
It is certainly a challenge for online casino games developers to translate the same atmosphere casinos succeed to implement through music and lightning. Experts studying the popularity of online slots show that music plays an essential role in attracting potential clients to the games. So, game developers have to always master the right music formula to create a game that sells.
To make sure that players feel the same level of comfort when playing online as they would in land-based casinos, online casinos try to create a feeling of hope and anticipation through music. The ambiance sounds should help create the impression that the jackpot is always within close reach. Higher and melodic sounds are recommended, and vocals are usually rejected from the background music strategy.
Online games have the advantage of using additional sounds, like water flowing, coins dropping, or wind blowing to simulate the impression of reality and get players to be more immersed in their gameplay.
It goes without saying that the methods of keeping customers glued to their seats are only getting more developed with each passing year, both land-based and online casinos using music sounds to generate bigger profits than they would on a mute setting.
