WASHINGTON – Maryland casinos generated $66 million last month and the amount of cash dropped there may have to do with your ears.
The sound of winning gets gamblers’ heart rates up and even makes them sweat, according to researchers at the University of Waterloo. The conducted a study using two kinds of slot machines – one that makes sounds and one that doesn’t. They found that people who played the machines with sound had a heightened physical response.
The machines that let you bet on multiple lines are designed with this theory in mind. Researchers say if you lose on two lines but win on just one, you’ll still feel like a winner – even if you recoup only 10 cents of the $2 you just invested.
Researchers also asked both sets of gamblers how often they thought they won. Both sets exaggerated the percentage of bets they won, but people playing with sound were fooled more often.
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