When you log into an online casino, whether to play a round of poker or try your luck in online casino games like the roulette or slot machines, you usually look for games with crisp graphics and exciting gameplay features, right? Most gamers don’t even think about the music playing in the background or the sound effects when you get a winning hand in poker or when the roulette wheel or slot reels start spinning. Think about it. When was the last time you paid attention to an online casino’s background music?
Despite the fact that gamblers don’t seem to pay any attention to the music, though, it’s practically impossible to find a casino—whether physical or online—that does not have any background music and sound effects playing non-stop. Along with the game symbols, vibrant graphics, fun features, and lucrative bonuses, music has become a mainstay in online casinos, regardless of what game you’re playing. So there must be a reason why online casino owners and game developers always include music in their games.
Let’s take a closer look at why, despite the fact that gamers aren’t consciously taking note of the music, online casinos still continue using them. What is it about music that makes casino operators think it is an important part of the gaming business?
Setting the Atmosphere
You don’t have to leave the house when playing in an online casino. So one of the things online casino operators want to do is take you away from your living room or bedroom scene while you’re online, and draw you into the gaming scene. They want you to have a similar experience as those who actually go into a brick-and-mortar casino.
Music is very effective in achieving this goal. It allows you as a player to temporarily forget your physical location and experience a feeling of actually being part of whatever casino scene you chose to enter. This is exactly what the game developers want, for you to “be” in the casino.
Entertainment
What are the usual reasons why you log into an online casino? It is to have fun, right? Some players might even play online casino games to release some work-related stress, or to get a chance to win some extra cash. Whatever the specific reasons may be, it is safe to say we all go to casinos for entertainment.
Can you imagine entering a casino building and being met with complete silence, a silence that is perhaps broken only by someone coughing or people chatting? That would feel more like entering a church or a library, rather than a gaming and betting place, right? Games and music are both forms of entertainment, so it makes sense to bring them together in a casino.
Completing the Experience
An online casino already has the necessary exciting games. And if it’s worth your money, then it would most likely have excellent graphics, interesting gameplay for all of their games, and some lucrative bonuses for the avid player. Inserting some cool music is just the perfect way to give all site visitors the complete experience of actually stepping into a physical casino.
The above list touches on the most obvious and practical reasons why an online casino operator should include music in their games, and perhaps even in their home page. But these aren’t the only reasons why music has been a constant part of casino gaming for decades. There is a less obvious, but perhaps a lot more important reason for the use of music in casino gaming.
The Effect of Music on the Human Psyche
Several studies have proven that music affects people at the neurological level. This means that the effects of music on us happens in our body’s motherboard. For this reason, we can feel the effects of music not only emotionally, but even physically. The presence/absence of music, and the type of music we are exposed to, both have a significant influence on how we feel, what we think, and even how we act.
Look back on the last time you experienced a tragedy or went through a difficult time in your life. Even if it didn’t offer a solution to your problem, soothing music managed to lift your spirits, right? And whenever you feel the need or the inclination to exercise, doesn’t the whole workout routine feel better when you go through it with upbeat music? Even babies usually stop making a fuss and quickly fall asleep when you expose them to lullabies and other relaxing tunes.
When game developers and online casino operators conduct their feasibility studies and market research, they don’t just study what kinds of games to offer and what bonuses to incorporate in their games. The more important part of their research has to do with learning what makes their target market tick.
How do they get more people to visit their site? How do they convince site visitors to play their games? What can make player stay on their site for more than a couple of minutes? How can they get player to return to their site regularly? These are some of the most important questions online casino operators need answers to, if they want their business to succeed.
One answer to these questions is—you guessed it—music. Below are some specific ways music can be beneficial to casinos in terms of drawing in more customers and earning more from these customers.
1. It relaxes you and makes you comfortable.
Think of times when you went to visit family or friends. You were most likely to stay for longer periods of time when you got a warm welcome from everyone in the household than when you got a cool reception from at least one of the residents, right? This is true for online casinos as well.
Studies have shown that when people log into a gambling website and are met with music that’s familiar to them, or even with unfamiliar music with catchy tunes, they tend to relax more and feel more comfortable browsing through the site. Welcoming music also encourages players to check out more of what the site has to offer before actually playing a game.
The relaxation and comfort you get when you hear soothing music helps ensure that you spend a significant amount of time on the website. Consequently, this also increases the chance of you wanting to visit the site repeatedly. Furthermore, it increases the chance of you taking advantage of more site offerings than what you had originally planned.
Why do casino operators want to see these results? It’s simple, really. The longer you stay on their site, the higher your chances are of spending money on their games and other site offerings. And the more comfortable you are in their online casino, the likelier you are to make bigger bets when you play.
2. It fills you with excitement.
Think about a college sporting event you once attended. For sure, there was up-tempo music playing in the background the whole time, right? And that background music was sure to have gotten the crowd so excited and effectively drawn them into the game. It wasn’t just the action on the court or field that got everyone revved up; it was also the loud thumping music that got spectators’ adrenaline rising.
In the same way, popular funky music is often played in online casinos, both in the home page and as part of each game, to fill players with excitement and develop in them an anticipation of the fun they’re about to have. Don’t you just love it when you enter a casino and you immediately get this feeling that something great is about to happen? That is exactly what casino operators and game developers are aiming for when they choose their music.
When people are excited, they are more likely to take risks, and that is primarily what gambling sites are all about. The more excited you get, the more you feel like nothing bad is ever going to happen. So all thoughts of possibly losing a lot of money or wasting cash on impossible wagers fly out the window, and more often than not, you will spend more than you planned to when you first logged into the website.
3. It heightens your desire to gamble.
There was a study conducted where people’s reactions to low-tempo music was observed vs. their reaction to high-tempo music. And while the study proved that we react differently to these two types of music, the end results can be quite similar and in some cases even exactly the same, where gambling is concerned.
4. Music makes us more likely to spend money on gambling.
With low-tempo music, you become so relaxed that you don’t really feel any need to get up from your chair and stop playing. You’re bound to feel like you’re able, even for a few minutes, to leave all your stressors behind and just enjoy life. And then you lose all track of time. What feels like just a few minutes of casual playing might actually have been hours of continuous gambling. So even if you only bet a small amount at a time, the fact that you’ve been at it for hours would mean you’ve spent a considerable amount of money overall.
With high-tempo music, you become so energized that you’re likely to throw caution to the wind and just keep playing. You feel like you’re having the time of your life, and everything is great, so what is there to worry about? Just party the night away! This type of music makes you part with your money a lot faster than low-tempo music does.
One thing worth noting is that it isn’t just background music that affects you in a way that gets you more engaged in an online casino and more likely to play the high stakes. There are also sound effects that work in the same way. If you’ve ever experienced winning big in a slot machine, then you’ll probably remember hearing the sound of coins falling as you get your cash reward. Sometimes there are also bells and alarms, a crowd cheering, maybe even flashing lights, when you hit the jackpot.
All of these sound effects are meant to be celebratory sounds that make you feel good about what just happened. It validates the risks you’ve taken and the bets you’ve made, telling you that you were on the right track when you decided to take those risks and make those bets. This might influence your decision on whether to grab your earnings and play again another day or keep playing for a chance at another big win.
Now you might be wondering what the most popular casino songs are. Although different casinos play different songs and music genres, there are those that people seem to prefer over others. Here are a few examples:
- The Gambler - This Kenny Rogers song is the perfect background music for anyone wanting to have a good time in an online casino. And perhaps the reason it is so popular is that most people love country music, so this makes the gambling experience a lot more enjoyable for them.
- Big Casino - Rock has always been a favorite among casino operators and gamblers alike. In fact, countless slot machines carry themes related to rock music. It is no wonder, then, that this song from indie rockers Jimmy Eat World has become very popular in online casinos.
- Luck Be A Lady - Frank Sinatra's music is ageless, and this is proven by the fact that his songs are still quite popular in the gambling scene. This particular song is one that you're likely to hear from time to time if you frequent online casinos.
Casino operators and game developers may use music primarily to benefit them, but that does not mean it won't benefit you as well. Just the fact that it makes the whole casino experience more enjoyable should be enough to make you appreciate the use of music in online casinos worldwide.
