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Casino scent marketing can work best when the fragrance fits the property, stays simple, sits at a level guests notice without it being strong, and does not clash with the music on the floor. That is the pattern across the research on ambient scent, from a slot floor study at UNLV to field tests in stores and malls. A gaming floor has music, crowds, smoke or its memory, and a 24-hour schedule, so each of these conditions is a setting someone has to get right.
What the casino study found
The best-known casino study is Gael Hancock's 2009 master's thesis at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It rotated four fragrances across 253 slot machines over 20 days at one casino, and found that refreshing and soothing blends significantly increased coin-in (Hancock 2009, UNLV). We walk through that study in more detail in The Science of Scent in Gaming.
One point matters for everything below. The study did not find that any scent worked. It found that some fragrances did and others did not. Which scent, and how it is delivered, made the difference.
Why fit matters more than the fragrance itself
A 2020 Journal of Marketing review by Roschk and Hosseinpour pooled 671 effects from 64 scent experiments. It found that pleasant scents lifted customer responses, and that the effect was larger when the scent was congruent with the setting, simple rather than a complex blend, familiar, used in a service setting, and noticeable without being overpowering (AMA summary of Roschk and Hosseinpour 2020).
A 2024 review of 102 effect sizes in the International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management found that scent's effects on how people think and behave were stronger in hospitality settings than in retail (Emerald, 2024). A casino resort is a hospitality setting, with hotel, dining, entertainment and the gaming floor under one roof.
Simple can beat complex
In a home-décor store in Switzerland, researchers tested a simple orange scent against a more complex blend of orange, basil and green tea. Shoppers spent about 20% more with the simple scent, while the complex blend had no effect (Herrmann et al. 2013, Journal of Retailing; ScienceDaily summary). For a casino, that is a reason to choose a clear, easy-to-read signature fragrance rather than a busy one.
Why music and scent have to agree
A casino floor is never quiet. Two studies show that scent and sound work together, for better or worse.
In a mall study reported by the American Psychological Association, Maureen Morrin and colleagues found that when scent and music were used together, shoppers bought less, and impulse shoppers spent less with scent alone (APA Monitor, 2005). In another study, a Christmas scent played without Christmas music produced the lowest product ratings of any combination (BioEd Online / Nature News).
The lesson for a casino is practical. The fragrance should suit the energy of the music on each part of the floor. A bright, upbeat slot area, a quiet high-limit room and a poker room may each call for a different choice.
Why intensity has to be set, not guessed
In a Dutch supermarket, Leenders and colleagues tested a melon scent at two levels with about 302 shoppers. At a clearly noticeable level, the store saw 13.8% higher takings and 27% more time in the store. At a fainter level, there was no significant effect on anything (Leenders et al. 2019, author manuscript).
Too strong is a problem too. The 2020 review found the best results when a scent was noticeable without being overpowering. On a gaming floor, ceiling height, airflow and crowd size can all change how strong a scent reads, so output has to be tuned zone by zone.
What this means for a casino scent program
Each of these findings points to setup work, not to a product on a shelf. This is how we approach a gaming floor:
- Fit first. Choose from a library of more than 200 fragrances, or build a custom signature scent, with the property's brand, guests and music in mind. Samples are sent at no cost.
- Zones, not one setting. HVAC-integrated diffusion covers large open areas of the floor, and standalone units serve high-limit and poker rooms. Each zone has its own output.
- Intensity as a setting. Cold-air diffusion turns fragrance oil into a fine mist with no heat and no water, so output can be tuned zone by zone. Refills are scheduled from a forecast of oil use based on the system and its settings.
- Odor first, then scent. Smoke is treated as an odor-control problem before it is a fragrance problem. When a floor goes smoke-free, the program is rebalanced, not simply turned down. Our smoke-free casino guide covers that shift.
- The same standard at every property. Multi-property operators can hold one fragrance and one service standard across locations.
Aroma Impressions works with more than 200 gaming venues. Bruce McClure, General Manager of Rocks and Brews Casino, said scent "has noticeably improved our guest experience" and "really helps combat smoke odor."
For zone planning across a resort, see Scent Zoning Across the Property, and for coverage on a large floor, see Engineering Coverage for Large-Format Gaming Floors.
See it on your own floor
The research shows what scent can do when the setup is right. The best way to judge it is on your own floor. Our free seven-day trial puts a diffuser and your chosen fragrance in a real zone of your property, with a prepaid return label and no commitment. Talk with an expert to plan a trial, or visit our casino scenting page.
Sources
- Hancock, G. D. (2009). The Efficacy of Fragrance Use for Enhancing the Slot Machine Gaming Experience of Casino Patrons. Master's thesis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/110/
- Roschk, H., and Hosseinpour, M. (2020). Pleasant Ambient Scents: A Meta-Analysis of Customer Responses and Situational Contingencies. Journal of Marketing. Summary: https://www.ama.org/2020/06/11/pleasant-ambient-scents-a-meta-analysis-of-customer-responses-and-situational-contingencies/
- Meta-analysis of 102 effect sizes on ambient scent (2024). International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. https://emeraldinsight.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJRDM-08-2023-0508/full/html
- Herrmann, A., et al. (2013). The Power of Simplicity: Processing Fluency and the Effects of Olfactory Cues on Retail Sales. Journal of Retailing. https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jouret/v89y2013i1p30-43.html
- Morrin, M., et al., mall study on scent and music, reported in the APA Monitor on Psychology (November 2005). https://www.apa.org/monitor/nov05/music
- Christmas scent and music study, reported by Nature News (via BioEd Online). https://www.bioedonline.org/news/nature-news-archive/shops-must-mix-festive-scents-sounds-tempt-buyer/
- Leenders, M., et al. (2019). Ambient scent as a mood inducer in supermarkets. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. Author manuscript: https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bitstream/10026.1/5220/3/Leenders,M.pdf