aaamusic | On 30, Jul 2014

When was the last time you walked into a casino? Whether it’s on the strip in Vegas or just a local arcade, casinos have a very unique ambience that can only be described as ‘casino-esque.’ Using a well-researched combination of lighting, visuals and sounds, casinos can indeed encourage gamblers to spend more money. Keep an eye out for these psychology tricks next time you find yourself wandering into one.

Timing your gambling

It’s a commonly known fact that casinos have no time pieces. The simple reason being, if a gambler can keep tabs on how long he or she is spending gambling, then he or she can also set limits. Clocks are banned in casinos, as are mobile telephones, so the only way that a gambler can keep up with time is to wear his or her own wristwatch.

However, there’s also a deeper psychology to timekeeping – the music played in casinos. Next time you go in, you might be too engrossed in spending to notice the music, but if you really listen, you’ll notice that it’s not just straight pop or chart tracks.

Music played in casinos is much more of a constant loop than specific tracks. The reason for this is that players can subconsciously keep an eye (or ear) on how much time they’re spending if they have finite tracks playing in the background. So if they know they’ve got through a Meat Loaf album, they’re probably going to up sticks and head home. It’s far more in the casino’s interest to keep a more ‘consistent’ ambience to create the ‘keep playing’ culture.

Sing when you’re winning

It’s not just about the music in the background when you’re playing in a casino. In a study conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, it was reported that players were more susceptible to keep gambling if they heard a certain sound when they were winning. Slot machines in large casinos are programmed to play a different tune when the user wins, and soon the player becomes accustomed to hearing a certain sound, making them subconsciously want to bet more money in order to hear the ‘sound of winning’ once again.

With these tricks in mind, it can be frightening when we consider just how much we’re being subliminally influenced by little tricks. Thankfully, there are ways we can get around this to limit our spending. Today, more than ever, people are turning towards online casinos for their gambling fix and it’s easy to see why.

From a musical perspective, there is certainly less restriction when it comes to playing online – players are not constrained by repetitious musical tunes and can choose to put on their own playlists or indeed none at all. Music freedom is one advantage; the ability to limit one’s spending is another.

Moreover, online casinos are becoming the preserve of more players thanks to the help available nowadays – rather than purchasing bulky books to take on an expensive trip to a land-based casino, popular games such as Keno and Bingo have online guides to help players, so everybody from beginners to experts are going online.

Though online competition may be hitting some casinos, music is an incredibly powerful force when it comes to psychology, and today’s businesses are making the most of this.