The Psychology Behind Music in Casinos

As the old saying goes, music is universal. It spans the breadth of language and culture and can join unknown people together into a form of brotherhood. Music has also been said to be the language of the soul, as it engages the senses bringing you to a sense of awe, amazement, and sometimes even clarity on a particular situation in life. Therefore, music is a universal language, one which we all understand.

There is a whole school of thought dedicated to the effects of music on people, with some highlighting its therapeutic effects. However, in this blog post, we want to focus on something a little bit different, and that is the use of music and the psychology behind music in casinos. You’ve all been to land-based and online casinos and you’ll certainly have picked out that every slot machine makes its own sounds, however, what you might not have noticed is that the casinos have carefully picked out a select style of music to achieve several goals. For example, the psychology behind music in casinos and the marketing strategies employed are very specific. Their aim is twofold: they either want to make you feel relaxed enough to continue parting with your money, or excited and energetic enough so that parting with your cash is done in an environment that makes you feel comfortable doing so.

Don’t be fooled. The music strategy used in casinos is very specific. You might have noticed certain music in elevators, shopping malls, and doctors’ rooms. Each of these has a specific strategy behind it. Their purpose can range from either calming you down as you wait for your turn to arrive or pumping you up so that you rush to get something done. The same is true for casinos, which employ very specific strategies to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible when playing.

So what type of music will you hear at a casino? Although you might be familiar with Lady Gaga’s Poker Face or Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler, casinos traditionally stay away from these types of pop songs and there is a very specific reason for that. The reason is that they want to create an atmosphere in which you’re nearly hypnotized – namely, that you are as calm and undisturbed as possible when playing.

The type of music that correlates with this feeling is called Muzak, a soft instrumental genre of music often heard in elevators and grocery stores. In some cases, the Muzak will feature songs from the current Top 40, while in others, the songs will be of a more generic variety. The main purpose isn’t in the music itself, but in the feelings it instils in the listener. The idea is not that you will spend more money by listening to soft and imperceptible music, but that the relaxation effect encourages you to stick around for longer. This is important for any casino, as the house edge shifts things into their favour the longer you play. Muzak is usually heard in casinos during the daytime.

On the other hand, at night, things change up a little bit with casinos often opting for more rock- and pop-related songs that drive up and create a sense of excitement. This sense of excitement is associated with a feeling of fun and you therefore don’t think twice about the cash you’re spending, again helping the casinos change the house edge in their favour.

Whether you like Muzak or not, you’re bound to hear it in a casino as it tries to engage all your senses and provide an atmosphere of fun and excitement for you to play in. Moreover, the visual effects of hypnotic carpeting, the bright and vivid lights, and the sounds of slot machines and sometimes even jackpots being won are truly what make a casino experience what it is. So, the final lesson to be learnt from this? Don’t underestimate the importance of music.