Recently I was asked to comment on the subject of “Casino Noise,” for a newsletter that goes out to casino executives. Hurrah! I am always ready to tell casinos how they can make me – and other players – happier. Here is what I submitted:
“Let me put it this way. If there were $5 full-pay Deuces Wild machines in hell, we probably wouldn’t mind the moaning and screaming!
“Although we never choose (or avoid) a particular casino because of the noise factor, and we have never left a casino earlier than we had planned because of the noise, we certainly have an opinion about it. Brad and I hate music played so loudly that we have to scream to communicate with each other or with others. We hate competing music, e.g. from a nearby live band and from the casino loudspeaker.
“Speaking of loudspeakers, we hate messages from them that we really want/need to hear (contest details, drawing names), but that are more garbled than the ones at our fast food drive-throughs. We have learned to live with the irritating fingernails-on-a-blackboard screeching of Caveman Keno, the all-too-frequent drone of wheel..of..fortune, and machines that blast out a message every time someone walks by. But we could exist more peacefully in a casino if none of these noises existed. We would even be happy with a compromise: turn down the volume!”
My husband has turned off the sound completely on my home VP machine and I sure miss it. So when I come to Vegas I like to hear the sound of the machine I’m on. However, more and more it seems I’m playing on machines with no sound or very little. Loud VP sound can be annoying, especially if someone near you is hitting and you aren’t, but some sound is exciting (on your machine that is).
u didn’t mention the constant annoyance of cocktail waitresses. it seems like every few minutes u have a waitress calling for drinks. The only time when you don’t see them is when u want a drink.
I think the most annoying thing is sitting down to a slot machine you have wanted to play for a very long time and the volume does not work at all, yet a totally different machine right next to you is blaring at full volume. Why can’t there be an option to plug in a set of headphones and adjust the volume to your own personal comfort level? The casino wouldn’t hurt for noise as there are plenty of other machines available to make noise. The fun of playing slots for me is the full experience of the machine, noise and all.
Ed,
I enjoy loud music. My kids usually wanted me to turn the music down when we were in the car. But I don’t go to the casino to listen to music; I go to play video poker. And, in one of the casinos I play at, you don’t need ears to hear the music; it’s so loud that it goes right through your skull. That’s unnessary.
Kevin is correct, it’s all about distraction. I have asked (at the Gold Coast) that a machine be turned down and it was. Thank you Gold Coast.
Was wondering, Jean, do you ever get any feedback from the CASINOs that they read this column and more importantly, the comment section? It should be known to them that this is the best feedback column they could hope for!!!!! If anything is irritating long enough, they will lose future business.
If the music is too LOUD yer T00 OLD !!!!
if i walk into a casino and don’t feel comfortable i leave. factors being noise, lighting and just a comfort feeling. if the casinos could seperate the vp machines from the slots would help. i have quit playing a machine or moved because of the noise from a slot machine. that being said i only play at the casinos i feel comfortable in.
Karaoke. Oh Lord have mercy. Please spare us the Karaoke singers in the bar next to the video poker room!!!
I fully agree about casino noise. In addition, the machine manufacturers should provide user controllable speaker volume. Some machines have it, but most don’t. Usually the slot attendant can adjust the volume from the service menu, which is not available to the player. Since the function exists within the machine, it should be easy to make it available to the player.
I agree with the comments about the background noise level being low enough so you can hear the audio ques on the VP machine you are playing. But far and away the most irritating situation is when there are competing music sources, be they canned music from a bar competing with overhead music from the casino, or even more annoying, the house music system competing with a live band they have are paying good money for!
I recently spend a couple of nights playing in the new Roadhouse/old Sheraton in Tunica and music from an adjacent bar competing with country music blaring from the overhead speaker was almost enough to drive me from an excellent Bonus paytable!
Let’s not forget, folks, the music isn’t for our enjoyment. Neither are all the sounds that the machines make. On the contrary, they are there to distract, annoy and disorient us. Not content with the house advantage, the casino wants us all to be gambling with fried brains and fatigued bodies. That’s why the disorienting interiors, the disconnect from the outside world, the bright lights, the lack of clocks, and the “free” booze. So when you (especially you, the advantage player) complain about any one of those things, the casino suit may nod sympathetically, but he’s really mentally rubbing his hands in glee and saying to himself, “Ha ha, it’s working!”
I hate the constant loud, annoying “ping, ping, ping” of the keno machines.
Jean, you wrote: >>We would even be happy with a compromise: turn down the volume!”<< I agree. But an even better solution would be enabling the ability for the player to be able to adjust the volume levels themselves. I find it particularly infuriating when the sound levels on v.p. machines are either turned off, or set so low that you can't even hear the audible signals that you have a "paying hand" from the deal. (Not that I'm looking for an excuse to not pay attention, but I appreciate the signal and enjoy the other sounds that are "standard" on v.p. machines.) If a machine has no sound at all, I generally won't play it.
Jean, what I hate is the VERY LOUD loud speakers in a casino where an employee bellows out the fact that they have positions left in the card room. The (Harrah’s) bartender and I couldn’t even talk, the noise was so loud coming from the speaker. There are also some of the newer interactive games, such as Hangover, that is loud enough to bother me if I’m playing VP within 15 feet or so of the game. Otherwise, I can usually tune out the common noises in a casino.
I will say that I asked for the floor supervisor, who came by and discussed the loud noise from the card room. He agreed. I’ve not had the problem since.
And you left out perhaps the worst: the Wizard of Oz machines. “Don’t be afraid, I am a good witch. My magic is very powerful!”
OMG the worst had to be the I Love Lucy game that used to haunt the FPDW at the Palms. I was happy when it disappeared. Unfortunately it was soon followed by the disappearing FPDW.
I could not have said it better. Thank you for that.
Now let us hope it reaches a friendly recipient.
George
I think the most depressing agenda is when you are next to someone who has not bathed in a while or put on clean clothing.
Sometims the homeless folks who don’t have access to bathing facilities come in and it is real sad to have to smell body oder. This is worse than noise to me.
some have social issues or mental ilness and not their fault but still.