Many of us have spent an evening in a casino or around the slot machines. As we play, we realize there is a thrill and a compulsion to continue playing the games.
Naturally, the prospect of winning money and grabbing the jackpot fires us to keep on playing. But why is there so much enjoyment? Studies have suggested that the music chosen to be played in the casino may well be behind a passion to play.
Like the guys from Wink Bingo who play those jolly jingles in advertisements, or those casinos that absolutely want you have fun by playing soft “music” which amounts to a collage of happy and interesting sounds, there’s a clear psychology in hearing a good piece of music and staying in at the game.
The music inside the casinos is just a part of the plan to keep the customer engaged and satisfied. Psychedelic carpets, machines that are positioned in a maze with no easy exit, an ambient temperature and a distinct lack of any clocks reminding you to be somewhere else.
These are all factors to make the casino a great place to be in. Among these welcoming features is the music, of course. The area around the slot machines is the most popular and here you will hear a cacophony of sounds.
However, the music being played out the slots tends to be in the key of “C”. Music tends to be unobtrusive but with a pleasant sonic tone – and scientists studying this have found the key of C generates this nostalgic sensation in casino attendees and slot machine players worldwide.
It is not just in casinos where musical manipulations take place, the supermarkets, clothing stores and seasonal shops selling festive wares also tend to micro-manage the music speaker system.
In the slot machines at a casino, it goes far beyond the sound of music drawing us in. Why are there metal trays to allow the coins to slam onto the collection point when grabbing the winnings? A plastic tray would be cheaper and suffice just as well.
It is down to sound, as well as music. When a potential punter hears the sound of coins chucking out aggressively and clanging onto that metal tray, it hones our attention and we want to be a part of that windfall. It is the association of sound: once “Gold, ahoy!” pricked the ear, now the clattering of the jackpot and music in C does the job.
