rules of casino design

The March 26 issue of The New Yorker magazine has a profile of Roger Thomas, the man who designed the interiors of Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn & Encore. The article mentions Bill Friedman who was a casino executive managing the Castaway Hotel and the Silver Slipper in the 1960s. Both casinos were doing poorly, so Friedman did some research: "I looked at all the most crowded gaming areas in the city, and I made a list of the defining features they had in common. I reasoned that these places must have found something important, and that I needed to copy it." In due course, he visited 80 casinos across Nevada, and wrote a 636 page textbook, "Designing Casinos to Dominate the Competition" which distills his research into 13 design rules. Friedman's textbook was dense with pages of complicated-looking equations that purported to link his principles to higher yields per player.

Among his rules:

*Slot machines should be arranged in a confusing labyrinth ("Principle 4: The maze layout beats long, wide, straight passageways and aisles")

*All decor must be gambling related ("Principle 9: The gambling equipment as the decor beats impressive and memorable decorations")

*The ceiling must be low and featureless ("Principle 8: Low ceilings beat high ceilings")

*The gaming area should begin within 10 feet of the hotel entrance

As anyone who has been to Bellagio knows, Roger Thomas eventually broke all of Friedman's rules. (I think the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture suspended from Bellagio's lobby ceiling is gorgeous, and it manages to break both Principles 8 and 9.) While I admit that I haven't personally read Friedman's 636 page manifesto, I'm wondering if he ruled out other variables (food quality in the restaurant, popular musical acts in the lounge, strong drinks at the tables, easy parking, tropical pools, attractive cocktail waitresses) totally unrelated to interior design.

Personally I avoid dark claustrophobic maze-like casinos with low ceilings and no decor. How about you?

Quote: reno

Personally I avoid dark claustrophobic maze-like casinos with low ceilings and no decor. How about you?

Generally.

Ceiling height is determined by zoning law and Gaming Board regs for surveillance equipment.

Maze like might be an exaggeration but other than sterile columns and rows is good. Islands, alcoves, etc.

No decorations other than gambling or female is a good rule.

The newer places are all bright ... the South Point will always be well lit and no-nonsense. You don't like Vanilla? Then don't come back.

Quote:

Personally I avoid dark claustrophobic maze-like casinos with low ceilings and no decor. How about you?

Depends on the play. Everything else you talked about is secondary to me.

I also think that it depends on your customer base that you want to target. Someone who plays penny slots may want a different feeling from someone who plays $100 slots. Likewise, a $5 per hand blackjack player may prefer something different then someone plays $10,000 per hand.

Quote: FleaStiff

No decorations other than gambling or female is a good rule.

I disagree. This decor works for me:

Quote: reno

As anyone who has been to Bellagio knows, Roger Thomas eventually broke all of Friedman's rules. (I think the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture suspended from Bellagio's lobby ceiling is gorgeous, and it manages to break both Principles 8 and 9.) While I admit that I haven't personally read Friedman's 636 page manifesto, I'm wondering if he ruled out other variables (food quality in the restaurant, popular musical acts in the lounge, strong drinks at the tables, easy parking, tropical pools, attractive cocktail waitresses) totally unrelated to interior design.

Two things:

1) the work by Friedman would seem to be old, and in Vegas old can mean just a few years.

2) the design is just one feature, albeit an important one, in drawing or turning off customers. Focusing on the design only strikes me as "cargo cult" casino management.

To anyone has ever been to both Connecticut Casino's ...
I have always found that Mohegan Sun is really a nicer gambling environment/design than Foxwoods.
Around this neck of the woods, it seems that most people I talk to say the same, but will play in either place.
Personally, once MS opened, they got the lion's share of my action. The design/environment was simply not cookie-cutter, like FW.

First question: are today's modern casinos really built for the gamblers?? Bellagio was not built for gamblers.

I don't think anything built in Vegas in the last decade was built primarily for gamblers.

Vegas casinos are built for tourists. If they gamble too,
thats great. Its the wow factor thats important.

Quote: AlanMendelson

First question: are today's modern casinos really built for the gamblers?? Bellagio was not built for gamblers.

I don't think anything built in Vegas in the last decade was built primarily for gamblers.

It's true that in recent years the big Strip resorts are making significantly more money from food, nightclubs, shows, and hotel rooms compared to the resorts of 30 years ago. (I'm sure Pacomartin could give us the exact numbers depicting this dramatic shift of revenue.)

Nevertheless, the Cirque du Soleil show is at the back of the casino. The buffet is at the back of the casino. There's still a 1/4 mile distance from the taxicab to the buffet or Cirque theater. And filling that 1/4 mile distance are literally thousands of slot machines. Just consider the newest resort on the Strip: The Cosmopolitan's restaurants and nightclubs are upstairs. (You'll need a map to find their Wicked Spoon buffet). The Cosmopolitan's 1st floor is reserved for slot machines and table games.

The bottom line is that these places are still built for gambling.

Quote: 98Clubs

To anyone has ever been to both Connecticut Casino's ...
I have always found that Mohegan Sun is really a nicer gambling environment/design than Foxwoods.
Around this neck of the woods, it seems that most people I talk to say the same, but will play in either place.
Personally, once MS opened, they got the lion's share of my action. The design/environment was simply not cookie-cutter, like FW.

i just got back from four days at Mohegan Sun.
It is my hands-down favorite as far as design and staff.
I love the layout of the casinos;
circular rather than the boxes of AC and PA.
though it is easy to become disoriented in the casino of the earth,
i love the low level lighting, the diverse pit layouts.
the designers made it the antithesis of foxwoods.
the incorporation of natural elements and native american imagery is so much more enjoyable.
also, on a side note, they are absolutely the best at customer service, bar none, (IMO).

Casino design clearly goes beyond just following rigid rules about layouts or ceiling heights. While principles like Friedman's maze-like slot arrangements or low ceilings might influence player behavior, atmosphere, lighting, and even color psychology play a huge role too. The way colors and textures are used can subtly affect mood, alertness, and comfort, elements that interior-focused professionals carefully plan. A real-life parallel can be seen in residential or commercial spaces where professional painters in Singapore enhance a room’s appeal using specific color schemes to evoke calm or energy. Companies like Painting Service Singapore(paintingservicesingapore.sg) specialize in such transformations, showing how strategic design choices, whether in a casino or a home, can influence engagement and experience.

Ultimately, it’s not just about the gaming floor layout; factors such as accessible amenities, visual cues, and overall environment interact to shape behavior, making the art of design both science and psychology.

Quote: phinleybrook

Casino design clearly goes beyond ...
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