This secret behind the sounds of slot machines will amaze you

Glen

• 30 Sep 2025 • Reading time: 2 minutes

Anyone who has ever played in a casino or online slot knows how brightly the lights flash and how cheerful the tunes sound. Those colours and sounds are not chosen at random. They are designed to keep you in the flow and make you play longer. It feels cheerful and exciting, even if you have just lost your bet.

The remarkable thing is that this trick also works online. In some dice slots, the mix of visual stimuli and sounds is so cleverly designed that you almost forget you are gambling.

Why your ears are just as important as your eyes

The beep of a near win, the cheerful tune for a small payout and the explosive music for a bonus round: they are all designed to build excitement. Sometimes a near hit feels even better than a real win. That mix of hope and adrenaline keeps players clicking or pulling.

And it’s not just about excitement. Some sounds are so recognisable that they evoke a sense of nostalgia. You immediately recognise that “casino sound”, even when you hear it on your phone on the train.

How RTP and design together influence your game

Of course, it’s not just about the show. The real value of a slot machine lies in its Return to Player, or RTP. This determines how much goes back to the player on average. A slot can look beautiful with neon lights and pumping music, but without a decent RTP, a player has little chance.

So if you want to play smart, look beyond just colours and sounds. There are machines with surprisingly high payouts, and as a player, you can benefit from that immediately. In this overview of the top 3 slot machines with the highest RTP in Belgium, you can see which machines really give you a better chance, beyond all the glitz and noise.

Why we keep falling for it

People are sensitive to patterns and rewards. A winning combination that lights up with bright colours and rousing music feels like a small celebration. Even a loss sometimes gets a sound effect that makes it feel softer.

The result? You play longer, more often and with more enthusiasm than you initially thought you would. And that is precisely why casinos and game developers pay so much attention to audiovisual design.