People all over the UK love to listen to music daily – it brings untold joy into our lives. This is especially true for the best metal and hard rock acts, who never fail to liven up that commute into work or give us a way to relax at home.
One of the most interesting things about music is how it’s used on a wider scale across various sectors. Casino entertainment is a great example that highlights how music helps casinos engage customers.
Of course, music in casino entertainment has evolved massively over time and looks a lot different now than it did years ago. This is true at both the latest real money casinos and more traditional land-based ones.
Let’s dive deeper into just how much music has changed in casinos over the years.
Music and casinos: The dawn of a new era
Although casino games have been played for a long time around the world, music only started to become fully integrated into casinos during the 1950s. Prior to this, people played games without any kind of musical backdrop, and casinos did not focus too much on anything other than pure gaming.
As the 1950s and 1960s got into full swing, music became another way for casinos to offer the best entertainment to players. Industry leaders soon realised that putting on live shows by the biggest music stars added to the overall experience and brought more people through the door. This era saw huge names like Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin grace the stage of top casinos in places like Las Vegas.
Music in casino entertainment grows
As the 1970s began, casinos saw the potential of hosting bigger gigs from their own purpose-built facilities. This made music even more important to the casino experience and allowed the sector to engage a whole new audience of music lovers.
In these years, huge rock acts like the Rolling Stones, Queen, and Led Zeppelin all played gigs inside casino arenas. These shows were always a massive spectacle and brought the biggest tracks to large audiences. All of this saw the use of music in casino entertainment evolve and become a lot more central to the experience of visiting a casino.
Background music in casinos
The 1980s was a period of real change in society and certainly in technology. One innovation that helped advance music in casino entertainment were high-class sound systems. These audio set-ups enabled casinos to play background music directly onto the floor and as people played games.
Background music was a real game-changer, making music even more integral to the playing experience. This still exists today in many land-based sites and helps to set a vibrant atmosphere for players. Casinos usually play upbeat music in the background, as this creates an exciting atmosphere for people to enjoy.
This evolved into the 1990s and beyond, though, as casinos started to use different music for different floors. Bosses did this to ensure the music being piped in blended well with the games being played. As themed casinos began to open in the 1990s, background music that fitted in with the overall theme became key to setting the right mood.
Music and the online casino experience
Although music has certainly evolved within land-based casinos, it’s also been key within the iGaming space. The first online casinos emerged around 2000 and made it easy to play games without leaving the house. As time passed, the growth of mobile tech and internet networks made it possible to play casino games via mobile.
Whilst music might not have been the first thing online casinos thought about initially, it has evolved within iGaming to become a core part of the experience. iGaming sites started to realise how useful music was for engaging players and started to introduce soundtracks to make them feel like real casinos.
Music within online casino games has also evolved and become something developers spend much more time on now. Modern online slots, for example, include crystal-clear sound effects to signal big wins and soundtracks that add to the gameplay. This is a change from the earliest online casino games, which did not use music to this extent.
Music for live casino games
To bring us up to date, it makes sense to look at how music is used in live casino play. This has been a huge innovation in casino entertainment and offers a more authentic experience to players. Although these games are still played at internet-based casinos, the action is hosted from a live studio and features real human dealers.
Music is used in live games to help set the right tone and enhance the overall gameplay experience. For live table games, this is usually light ambient music that does not become too distracting for players. Game shows are another live gaming innovation and can feature louder, more upbeat music, which fits in well with the mood of the game.
How will music in casino entertainment evolve next?
As with many things in modern life, AI and machine learning may play a big role in this. For example, sophisticated AI software at online casinos could bring customised playlists each time people log on to game. Land-based casinos may use AI tech to play certain music automatically at certain times of day, which provides the best gaming experience.
It’s also sensible to think that the way music is integrated into land-based casinos on a wider scale may change moving ahead. This may see more virtual gigs broadcast online from casino arenas for fans to view at home or a broader range of musical styles booked to play casino shows.
Casinos and music: A partnership for the ages
From glamorous land-based casinos to high-tech online ones, it’s fascinating to see how music has evolved in casino entertainment over time. It also shows just how tightly bound together these things are and how important music is to the casino’s offers.
