Australians lose up to AU$12 billion ($8.4 billion) a year on poker machines, or “pokies” as they are more commonly known. Creative director Neil Walshe believes one of the main reasons is the lack of a “losing sound.”
An experiment aims to test whether adding an abrasive sound when losing will help Australians break their tag as the “world’s biggest gambling losers.”
While machines ring out celebratory tones when hitting jackpots, there is silence when players lose. Walshe has launched “The Losing Sound” project in collaboration with Rumble Studios and Milos Photography.
The experiment uses six different sounds that mimic the sound you might hear when losing on a video game, including one that simply says “you lose.” The project’s website says, “These losing sounds were created to psychologically reduce gambling harm.”
Jeremy Richmond from Rumble Studios composed the sounds, noting that “Poker machines are even designed to play a win sound when you have a net loss.”
He added, “We wanted to create a sound that not only made the user more aware of the amount of losses they had, but also to elicit a negative emotional response and get the player to stop.”
Gambling Companies Not Interested in Losing Sounds
Research has shown that the sounds emitted by gaming machines affect player behavior. Richmond claims gaming companies are aware of this and deliberately tailor machines to maximize losses.
He stated, “Gambling companies are using advanced psychological techniques to manipulate people and destroy not only the lives of the users, but of their families.”
The sounds are free for anyone to use, including gaming companies; however, Walshe says the industry is not yet interested in utilizing them.
Australia has various restrictions on pokies, including New South Wales’ blackout periods when machines are inaccessible. Other areas, such as Victoria, have reduced the amount players can deposit, down from $1,000 to $100. Players can also self-exclude or set their own limits.
Relative’s Huge Losses Sparked Project
The various restrictions have not, however, slowed player losses. With no legal online casinos, pokie machines are the biggest contributor to Australians’ gambling losses. New South Wales reported record pokie losses last year, a 9% increase from 2024.
Walshe said he became interested in the project after witnessing a relative’s massive losses. They lost AU$150,000 ($105,000), which led to the loss of “the credit cards, the children’s bank accounts, the entire house deposit, and it broke their family apart,” he said.
To run the experiment, he had to purchase a machine on the black market. He stated, “I asked friends of friends who worked at pubs, but no one was willing to lend me one. Eventually, I had to buy one illegally. I won’t go into the full details, but think back alley, intimidating characters, a brown envelope of cash, and the hefty risk of 12 months in prison if I got caught.”
Project Backed By Addiction Groups
Gambling addiction recovery groups have backed the project, including The Truth About Addiction and Stories of Hope Australia. These groups have also been campaigning for a ban on gambling advertising in Australia, but say gambling companies are blocking efforts through lobbying.
In New South Wales, rather than advertising leading to greater losses, it was found that the intensity of play is responsible for some players losing large sums of money. Walshe believes trials of the losing sound indicate this would no longer be the case if the sounds were implemented.
He noted that players stopped gambling after a maximum of 30 minutes in test sessions, and all players agreed that the sounds were a good idea, despite having a positive view of pokies in general.
Now, he wants Australia to integrate the sounds into machines. He said, “Gambling addiction destroys families and lives. If this project helps players become more aware, that’s a win. If it helps Canberra become more aware, that’s a jackpot.”
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Australians lose up to AU$12 billion ($8.4 billion) a year on poker machines, or “pokies” as they are more commonly known. Creative director Neil Walshe believes one of the main reasons is the lack of a “losing sound.” An experiment aims to test whether adding an abrasive sound when losing will help Australians break their
The post What If Pokies Made A Losing Sound? Australian Creative Director’s Idea to Combat Gambling Addiction appeared first on CasinoBeats.