Casinos bring to mind glittering, opulent design that holds the potential for riches if luck is in your favor. In an increasingly competitive gaming landscape, classic design choices alone won’t keep guests — and their dollars — walking through your doors. If renovations aren’t in your budget, there are still ways to transform your space, no matter the size of your operation or the clientele you serve.
Historically, casino floor plans have been designed to keep guests on the game floor for as long as possible. Complimentary beverages, lack of clocks and fantastic discounts help with that goal, but design elements also play a critical role in keeping people inside and playing all night long. But how exactly do these tactics attract and retain patrons? Let’s explore successful casino interior design trends and how to put them to use.
Some people go to casinos to gamble, while others go for other purposes such as to watch live performances or attend conferences. To convert non-gamblers into game players, casino owners come up with inventive ways of structuring the layout of their facilities to get visitors out onto the casino floor. Some of these strategies include:
This widely used casino layout’s core focus is making it challenging for players to leave once they’re on the floor. It uses haphazard curving arcs of machines and tables to its advantage as players must pass them by on the way out. The goal here is to entice them to stop and try their luck one last time. Exits are often obscured, and various gambling opportunities are always in view from every angle to keep players engaged.
In addition to the strategic placement of gaming machines and tables, the maze layout typically offers few to no clocks or windows, which keeps guests unaware of the passing time.
The 1990s brought a shift away from the maze layout and introduced the playground casino design, which emphasizes influencing players’ emotions and appealing to a broader audience.
With airy, open gaming rooms, the playground uses skylights, European style and a focus on luxury to attract guests. The goal of this layout is to get players to relax and feel pampered and sophisticated, putting them at ease so they’re more likely to stay at tables and machines longer and place larger bets.
While mid-twentieth century casinos are most well known for their endless rows of slot machines and table games, modern casino design looks to clusters, where groups of people can congregate. The psychology behind this design choice is simple — people are curious. Groups of onlookers draw more potential players into the excitement, and seeing someone else win encourages others to try their luck.
When people consider energy efficiency and sustainable design, casinos are rarely the first thing that comes to mind. However, the industry is shifting toward more environmentally-friendly business practices, and doing so is easier than ever due to innovations in technology and materials.
Green building materials, acoustic management solutions, lighting fixtures and display options, such as LED video walls, not only improve the guest experience, they also drive down energy costs and lead to a positive reputation with environmentally conscious guests.
Casino design can readily embrace accessibility by incorporating a few basic additions:
Attracting players — and keeping them betting — is the primary goal of every casino design. Let’s see how psychology plays a part in helping casinos achieve this aim.
Time flies when you’re having fun, but casino design intends to purposefully keep you unaware of it. Bill Friedman, the renowned casino manager who perfected the maze layout, famously removed clocks from his casino designs to keep players from keeping track of time. Even today, you can only discern the time of day in most casinos if you carry your smartphone or wear a watch.
Friedman recognized that winning — or the impression of winning — keeps players seated at game tables and machines. His designs feature labyrinthine pathways through the casino floor and encourage players to look on and join in on the fun. More people gathered around an area signals success, which ultimately draws in more potential players.
Friedman also believed that the players’ focus should be solely placed on the casino’s games. As a result, the machines and tables themselves become the decor. The way they are arranged is important as well, with each table or machine looking toward another and every path on the casino floor leading to a new game for potential players to try.
The playground casino design takes a different approach to attracting players. This technique aims to relax guests by providing airy, luxurious areas to linger in the hopes that they’ll be comfortable enough to play for longer periods and place more substantial bets.
Many industries, such as retail, hospitality and entertainment (specifically theme parks) use specially chosen music to create their ideal environment. Playground casino design is no different, often incorporating upbeat music into the guest experience. The right balance of elegance and energy keeps players in a betting mood.
Back in the ‘90s, researchers found that casino patrons spent 45.1% more money in areas that were infused with pleasant aromas. Today, many casinos feature their own signature scents for this and other reasons such as to project a cohesive brand image or to simply mask unpleasant odors.
Innovative design strategies bring casinos into the modern era, but safety, efficiency and operations are mainstays. Here are some fundamental considerations to take into account when designing a casino:
This is the most important factor in a casino’s layout. Primary considerations include the simplicity of emergency evacuation, the positioning of fire exits and the practicality of guest and employee movement. Digital and print signage to mark exits and wayfinding cues is critical.
Proper lighting and acoustic management can also be important for safety and security purposes. Additionally, security systems for monitoring game tables and currency exchanges require a robust centralized hub and state-of-the-art audio video equipment and controls.
In casino design, efficiency — more than time — is money. Similar to maintaining security systems, managing operations systems is an important part of keeping your facility running, and requires industry-leading communications and monitoring solutions.
Players will leave the gaming floor more quickly without easy-to-find amenities. Nothing is worse than breaking a winning streak to search for a restroom. Customer comfort is vital to customer happiness, and going above and beyond by including adequate wayfinding, lighting and sound management enables players to optimize their gaming time.
Blending convenience, efficiency and security with aesthetics that match your vision is the final step in casino design. A unified design strategy is critical to creating an effective and profitable gaming floor.
In addition to providing a wide range of games and services, modern casino-goers expect facilities to be visually appealing as well. These are a few of the most popular trends in casino design today:
With the growing rate of technology and digitalization, casinos need to adapt to new design trends and ideas. Incorporating traditional elements and adding new signage and digital enhancements can help your venue stand out. If you’re looking for innovative ideas for casino interior design or advice on how to use technology and displays in your facility, contact DGI Communications for a personalized game plan.