Casino Design Standards

For most gamblers, casinos are a kind of utopia—a place where they can disconnect from the realities of the outside world. It’s a place where everything seems perfect; the mood, ambiance, lights, and the people.

But is it a coincidence that once you walk through those doors, all you want to do is play and play? If you thought yes, then think again. When it comes to the experience you get at a casino, nothing is left to chance, and a lot is happening behind the scenes.

You can trace the design of casinos back to two people with brilliant minds or rather sneaky characters —Bill Friedman and Roger Thomas. Their ideas are quite evident till today and are the reason why you can’t help but say, “One last spin or one last round.”

Bill Friedman | The Classic Casino Designs Genius

The story of Bill Friedman is an interesting one, seeing that he was addicted to gambling. He couldn’t help himself but visit a casino every chance he got. One question that always lingered in his mind was, how do players keep coming back again and again?

For 20years, Bill Friedman dedicated himself to finding the answer to that question. He lectured on casino management at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, worked as a casino consultant and executive, and studied over 80 casinos in Nevada. After all the experience and knowledge he gathered, he published “Designing Casinos to Dominate The Competition.”

Friedman mentions that having slot machines at the entrance of the casino sets a player in the mood. Rather than having vast and empty lobbies, the sound of game machines should welcome a player.

There should also be no clocks or windows so that players can’t keep track of the time. Once you can’t quickly know what time it is, you won’t start worrying whether you’ll get home late or any other commitments you had.

Have you ever wondered why you can’t find the exit door or even the restrooms easily? What about wondering why the space seems so congested? Well, you have Bill Friedman to thank for that. The thought behind this is to get you easily distracted and get you back into the games. If the route to the restroom is like a labyrinth and there are slot machines everywhere, you’ll easily say, “What the hell, let me just have a few spins.”

Lastly, you need to feel at home at a casino, and Friedman interprets it as providing an intimate environment. Casino ceilings will usually hang low and have sections divided into small rooms to keep you curious about what each room offers.

Roger Thomas | A Modern Approach

Roger Thomas, or ‘the man who redesigned Vegas’, is known for his modern idea regarding casino designs. A good example is his exemplary work with the Bellagio Casino.

He believes that “People don’t want to make bets when they feel trapped or overwhelmed or confused. That’s not what they want.” Roger’s approach is to provide a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere to players.

Some of the design alterations Roger suggests are big and bright windows and open spaces. A casino doesn’t have to be congested or all cramped up, but players can have a little freedom and space.

Instead of the maze-like approach suggested by Friedman, Roger pushes for easy-to-navigate spaces so that players can feel at ease and bet more. He also advocates for high ceilings with beautiful furnishings to decorate the gaming halls and make them more enticing.

Casinos After The Covid-19 Pandemic

While any casino can go for a classic or modern design, everything had to change due to the covid-19 pandemic. Casinos had to adopt several adjustments to protect life while ensuring players had a fun time.

According to guidelines by the CDC, casinos need to have measures on social distancing and sanitization. Some of the design changes that different casinos adopted include spacing slot machines, having one entry and exit, and using barriers.

To separate one slot machine from another, some casinos use plexiglass as a barrier. The Bellagio casino went the extra mile and also had its poker rooms fitted with plexiglass as well.

While the casino industry is still adjusting to the ‘new normal,’ the progress made through vaccination is commendable, and all hope is that everything will go back to normal soon.

Another piece of good news is that online casinos came in to fill the void. A similar approach is taken by online casino games, with flashy lights and ever-growing jackpots at the side of the screen. Playing online casinos will feel like the good old days when you played your favorite games in an entertaining casino.

Author Bio

Hi! I’m Bryan, and I’m a passionate & expert writer with more than five years of experience. I have written about various topics such as product descriptions, travel, cryptocurrencies, and online gaming in my writing journey. The latter is one of my favorite topics, and you can find some of my premium casino content at OUSC.