You enter a casino and lose yourself in a maze of flashing slot machines, blackjack tables, boisterous craps players and scantily clad cocktail waitresses. Are you confused and scared? Or are you excited and ready to pull out your wallet?
The way casinos are designed has become a topic of great interest and many of the classic theories of how casinos should be set up have recently come under scrutiny. The result is that casino layout theory is evolving - with the goal of encouraging more gambling while ensuring everyone is having more fun.
Many players, one casino
A casino cannot be designed and built for just one person. It has to cater to the needs of thousands of visitors every day, from confused newbies who have never smashed a quarter into a slot machine, to cash-rich “whales” who want to spend hours playing high-stakes table games.
When designers envision a new casino, their approach is to segment all the possible customers they might attract and try to create a design that works for all of them.
For example, a some casinos at Casino Pulse Canada may identify three main customers: high-rollers who want to avoid slots and other distractions, casual gamblers who pass by on the street primarily seeking the convenience of slots, and hotel guests who frequently pass the casino on their way to theirs Room.
The casino has to "work" for all of these players so they don't take their business elsewhere.
Why are casinos designed the way they are?
You enter a casino and lose yourself in a maze of flashing slot machines, blackjack tables, boisterous craps players and scantily clad cocktail waitresses. Are you confused and scared? Or are you excited and ready to pull out your wallet?
The way casinos are designed has become a topic of great interest and many of the classic theories of how casinos should be set up have recently come under scrutiny. The result is that casino layout theory is evolving - with the goal of encouraging more gambling while ensuring everyone is having more fun.
A casino cannot be designed and built for just one person. It has to cater to the needs of thousands of visitors every day, from confused newbies who have never smashed a quarter into a slot machine, to cash-rich “whales” who want to spend hours playing high-stakes table games.
When designers envision a new casino, their approach is to segment all the possible customers they might attract and try to create a design that works for all of them.
For example, a casino may identify three main customers: high-rollers who want to avoid slots and other distractions, casual gamblers who pass by on the street primarily seeking the convenience of slots, and hotel guests who frequently pass the casino on their way to theirs Room.
The casino has to "work" for all of these players so they don't take their business elsewhere.
Slots layouts
The most critical aspect of any casino layout today is slots. In the 1970s, slots accounted for about 40 percent of casino floor revenue. Today that's up to 71 percent, and players bred to play iPhone games continue to favor slots (including video poker and blackjack) over traditional table games – even if the odds aren't as good. At most casinos, slots outnumber table games by well over 10 to 1.
The success of slot machines was fueled in large part by the advent of touch screens, which allowed designers to create a wild array of themed slots, often following pop culture tenets. Today, a casino no longer needs 300 identical machines. Now four or eight units can be selected from dozens of different machine types. This gives the consumer much more variety and more impetus to stick with and play different types of casino games. The psychology is simple: If "Wheel of Fortune" doesn't pay off, maybe "Money Madness" will.
Table Game Layouts
Designers have less flexibility in positioning table games, which are traditionally placed in the middle of the casino where they can be centrally managed and secured. These games aren't of much interest to casual players, and regular players will be drawn to them anyway, so placement isn't that critical.
However, clustering table games in a group has other advantages. Table games like blackjack are often noisy and noisy, especially when someone is in a hot streak (see our article on blackjack etiquette), which creates energy and creates a party-like environment. The central location of these games allows this energy to spread and attract new players.
However, clustering table games in a group has other advantages. Table games like blackjack are often loud and noisy, especially when someone is in a hot streak (also see our article on blackjack etiquette), which generates energy and creates a par