In 2014, a group of Norwegian scientists conducted a study to determine if the tempo and type of music played while gambling affects players’ behavior. The results indicated that a faster piece affects decision making and slower music affects concentration. But, some of the beste norske casinos (and others worldwide) have been using music to influence gamblers’ decisions for decades.
We consulted an expert, Alexandra Nereng, to help us decode the casino music playlist and the reasons behind some of their choices. This article explores the kinds of music played in brick-and-mortar casinos versus in online ones and why there are such significant differences in music choice.
Often, brick-and-mortar casinos tailor the music to the atmosphere of the crowd in the casino. For example, if there are many young people, they will play faster, more modern music while older clients enjoy calmer music to concentrate.
Online casinos can tailor the music however they want. For example, there might be a piano melody playing in the lobby and a booming electronic track when you play a slot.
The Importance of Background Music
As mentioned above, background music when gambling has been proven to affect your wagers, decision-making skills, and concentration. Low-tempo music seems to increase the number of bets placed or persistence in the game.
This makes sense as slower and calmer music can help you focus and map out a winning strategy. Faster music has been proven to increase reaction time and, therefore, decision making. Players don’t tend to sit and think and instead act on their first instinct. But, how do casinos use this information?
Brick-And-Mortar Casinos
When you walk onto a casino floor, every machine and game has its sounds blaring at you from every side, which can become chaotic. Casino songs help to level out the mood by either calming it down or turning it into a party. The music played while gambling can affect your concentration and decision-making, and casinos use that to their advantage.
Fast-Paced Music
Casinos generally play faster-paced music at night when more young people come in. Younger gamblers are less conservative when they gamble, making more impulsive decisions and higher wagers.
The upbeat, exciting atmosphere of fast-paced pop, rock, or electronic music makes their gambling behaviors even more intense and their choices even more reckless. Fast-paced music turns the casino floor into a party that no one wants to leave.
Calm Music
Usually, casinos play calmer music to contrast the floor’s chaos. This music keeps gamblers playing for longer and softens the mood to make it more bearable to play for long periods. Calmer music helps players concentrate and is mainly played during the day when players often come for relaxation. Casinos play slow-paced, light music like the lounge, jazz, piano pieces, or blues to create a calm and sophisticated atmosphere.
Live Music
Live bands or performers can attract many more clients from outside that might not have stopped by otherwise. This is because live music gives an exciting atmosphere to the floor regardless of genre, and people are often drawn in just to watch. They might also be tempted to play.
Casinos book popular bands to attract more customers, and you can find live shows of many different genres.
Online Casinos
Online casinos don’t have the chaos of machines making noises and people milling around. Because of this, they have unique control over a player’s mood as soon as they enter the lobby.
Many online casinos have casino-themed songs or light melodies as their background music, and developers have even started putting them in games. In fact, much trendy gambling or Las Vegas-themed songs have been featured in casino games. Some of the most popular include:
- Lady Gaga – Poker Face
- Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
- Dire Straits – Money for Nothing
- Motörhead – Ace of Spades
- Sting – Shape of My Heart
Online casinos offer a massive variety of games, and each has a different theme and, therefore, unique music. For example, fast-paced slot games have fast, frantic beats, while games like poker might have a slow guitar song playing in the background. Regardless, the music must be easy to listen to. Repetitive, loud, or dissonant music will become annoying after some time, and players won’t continue.
Conclusion
The music you hear while gambling has a significant impact on the decisions you make and your concentration. Casinos use this information by playing different music at certain times and during certain games to get the reaction they want.