The Role of Light and Music in Gambling Behaviour: An Empirical Pilot Study

Empirical research examining the situational characteristics of gambling and their effect on gambling behaviour is limited but growing. This experimental pilot investigation reports the first ever empirical study into the combined effects of both music and light on gambling behaviour. While playing an online version of roulette, 56 participants took part in one of four experimental conditions (14 participants in each condition); (1) gambling with fast tempo music under normal (white) light, (2) gambling with fast tempo music under red light, (3) gambling with slow tempo music under normal (white) light, and (4) gambling with slow tempo music under red light. Risk (dollars spent) per spin and speed of bets were measured as indicators of gambling behaviour. Significant main effects were found for speed of bets in relation to musical tempo, but not light. No significant effects were found for risk per spin for either of the two independent variables. A significant interaction between light and music for speed of bets was shown. Planned comparisons revealed that fast tempo music under red light resulted in faster gambling. These findings are discussed along with the methodological limitations, and potential implications for various stakeholders including the gambling industry and practitioners.

[1]  K. Hevner,et al.  The affective value of pitch and tempo in music. , 1937 .

[2]  William N. McBain,et al.  Noise, the "arousal hypothesis," and monotonous work. , 1961 .

[3]  Glenn D. Wilson,et al.  AROUSAL PROPERTIES OF RED VERSUS GREEN , 1966 .

[4]  H. F. Hess,et al.  Motivation for Gambling as Revealed in the Marketing Methods of the Legitimate Gambling Industry , 1969, Psychological reports.

[5]  Charles Mauron,et al.  Aesthetics and Psychology , 1970 .

[6]  D. Berlyne,et al.  Aesthetics and Psychobiology , 1975 .

[7]  L. Wedin,et al.  A multidimensional study of perceptual-emotional qualities in music. , 1972, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[8]  M. R. Ali.  Pattern of EEG recovery under photic stimulation by light of different colors. , 1972, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[9]  F. Birren.  Color and Human Response , 1978 .

[10]  Rudolf E. Radocy,et al.  Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior , 1979 .

[11]  C W Fontaine,et al.  Effects of Familiarity of Music on Vigilant Performance , 1979, Perceptual and motor skills.

[12]  D. Rutter,et al.  Ten reasons why ANOVA theory and research fail to explain attribution processes: 1. Conceptual problems , 1982 .

[13]  R. E. Milliman.  Using Background Music to Affect the Behavior of Supermarket Shoppers , 1982 .

[14]  D. Saunders,et al.  Differential effects of red and blue coloured lighting on gambling behaviour , 1982 .

[15]  R. E. Milliman,et al.  Using background music to affect the behavior of supermarket shoppers. , 1982 .

[16]  G. Anderson,et al.  Real and laboratory gambling, sensation-seeking and arousal. , 1984, British journal of psychology.

[17]  Thomas C. Roballey,et al.  The effect of music on eating behavior , 1985 .

[18]  R. Ladoucer,et al.  Familiarity, group exposure, and risk-taking behavior in gambling. , 1986, The Journal of psychology.

[19]  R. E. Milliman,et al.  The Influence of Background Music on the Behavior of Restaurant Patrons , 1986 .

[20]  Colin Martindale,et al.  Priming, prototypicality, and preference. , 1988 .

[21]  O. Ferrell,et al.  Marketing Concepts and Strategies , 1989 .

[22]  A. Mehrabian.  Effects of Affective and Informational Characteristics of Work Environments on Worker Satisfaction , 1990 .

[23]  I. Bruner.  Music, Mood, and Marketing: , 1990 .

[24]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  The role of cognitive bias and skill in fruit machine gambling. , 1994 .

[25]  Joseph A. Bellizzi,et al.  Environmental color, consumer feelings, and purchase likelihood , 1992 .

[26]  L. Standing,et al.  Fast Music Causes Fast Drinking , 1992, Perceptual and motor skills.

[27]  James J. Kellaris,et al.  An exploratory investigation of responses elicited by music varying in tempo, tonality, and texture , 1993 .

[28]  Charles S. Areni,et al.  The influence of background music on shopping behavior: Classical versus top-forty music in a , 1993 .

[29]  P. Valdez,et al.  Effects of color on emotions. , 1994, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[30]  Laurette Dubé,et al.  The effects of background music on consumers' desire to affiliate in buyer‐seller interactions , 1995 .

[31]  Adrian C. North,et al.  The social psychology of music. , 1997 .

[32]  Adrian C. North,et al.  Experimental Aesthetics and Everyday Music Listening , 1997 .

[33]  G. Marshall,et al.  Against the Odds , 1999 .

[34]  Randi Priluck Grossman,et al.  What we know about consumers’ color choices , 1999 .

[35]  S. Hibbert,et al.  Play That One Again: the Effect of Music Tempo on Consumer Behaviour in a Restaurant , 1999 .

[36]  V. Benet‐Martínez,et al.  Consumption symbols as carriers of culture: a study of Japanese and Spanish brand personality constructs. , 2001 .

[37]  Adrian C. North,et al.  The Effect of Musical Style on Restaurant Customers' Spending , 2003 .

[38]  O. C. Ferrell,et al.  Marketing: Concepts and Strategies 12/e (Маркетинг: Концепции и стратегии) , 2003 .

[39]  Griffiths,et al.  The environmental psychology of gambling , 2003 .

[40]  Stephanie L. Wilson,et al.  The Effect of Music on Perceived Atmosphere and Purchase Intentions in a Restaurant , 2003 .

[41]  Gershon Tenenbaum,et al.  THE EFFECT OF MUSIC TYPE ON RUNNING PERSEVERANCE AND COPING WITH EFFORT SENSATIONS , 2004 .

[42]  Mark Griffiths,et al.  Fruit machine gambling: The importance of structural characteristics , 1993, Journal of Gambling Studies.

[43]  S. Hébert,et al.  Physiological stress response to video-game playing: the contribution of built-in music. , 2005, Life sciences.

[44]  M. Griffiths,et al.  The psychology of music in gambling environments: An observational research note , 2005 .

[45]  Jonathan Parke,et al.  The Psychology of the Fruit Machine: The Role of Structural Characteristics (Revisited) , 2006, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[46]  K. Finlay,et al.  The Physical and Psychological Measurement of Gambling Environments , 2006 .

[47]  Satyendra Singh.  Impact of color on marketing , 2006 .

[48]  K. Finlay,et al.  Trait and state emotion congruence in simulated casinos: Effects on at-risk gambling intention and restoration , 2007 .

[49]  P. Costa,et al.  Pathological gambling and the five-factor model of personality ☆ , 2007 .

[50]  Griffiths,et al.  The role of structural characteristics in gambling , 2007 .

[51]  Griffiths,et al.  British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 , 2007 .

[52]  M. Griffiths,et al.  An Empirical Investigation of Music and Gambling Behaviour , 2007 .

[53]  T. Katsuura,et al.  Effects of object color stimuli on human brain activities in perception and attention referred to EEG alpha band response. , 2007, Journal of physiological anthropology.

[54]  Bob Erens,et al.  Internet gambling: a secondary analysis of findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey , 2008 .

[55]  Laura Hill,et al.  This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession , 2009, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[56]  Garry Smith.  Research and Measurement Issues in Gambling Studies , 2009 .

[57]  Joav Merrick,et al.  Adolescent gambling. , 2010, International journal of adolescent medicine and health.