Casino Design: The Secret Psychology

Introduction: The Secrets of Casino Design

In the same way that stores are designed to encourage the shopper to stop at look at different items, whether through the use of hard/soft flooring or hard/soft lighting, have you ever considered that this same psychology could be extended to casinos? After all, both aims are the same: namely a bigger spend per square foot.

Many Players, One Casino

First thing to note is that a casino is not designed for just one person. No, we need to cram the punters in. So we will need to segment different areas for different purposes. And we’ll need to find a design that works for all people, no matter what they’re playing. We need to identify who exactly IS our customer. For example, the high roller have little interest in the slots machine and head straight for the roulette wheel. Or maybe the more casual gamer, who’s wandered in off the street in order to kill twenty minutes whilst the wife is getting her hair done. He’s probably more comfortable playing the slots as opposed to interacting with other people.

The Secrets of Casino Design: Move The Customer To The Middle

So the designer need to map out the path that each of these types of player will take from the front door. Once we have the route, then we can start to tweak it in order to create the maximum appeal to our customers. The general idea is, once the customer is through the front door/entrance, then bit by bit you want to keep enticing them to keep moving inwards.whatever happens, you have to keep them occupied and away from the exit. this is where the psychology of design plays it’s most important role.The general idea is that the exits are hidden (try selling that idea to a fire department!) and that all the player can see, are gaming machines or tables. Just like at the sites to win the jackpot.

The Maze Layout

Back in the heydays of casinos during the 1990’s and 2000’s, your average Las Vegas casino was designed around the concept of a maze. The idea being that once your punter came in, they couldn’t find their way out. It was actually called, “The Maze Layout”. Every casino adopted this idea. So much so, that the maze layout entered Las Vegas pop culture. Also within this idea was the lack of wall clocks and no windows, so that you had no idea of time passing. In the 1960’s, slots machines were lined up in neat and tidy rows. Come the 90’s and they were no re-arranged into haphazard curving arcs. As a player, you go in one end and then have to navigate yourself around al the different machines before you’d get your bearings. Of course the idea was that you would drop some coins on your travels.

The Secrets of Casino Design: Going Upmarket

With the opening of high end establishments like the Wynn and the Bellagio, casino design took a step in another direction. Gone were the low ceiling and eyefuls of machines. Now we had more open plan, with the machines in smaller groupings and lots of space and light. Now when a punter entered he was met, not with gaming machines, but with art, sculptures and wide open spaces.
This new concept was called the “playground”. Instead of the casino sowing confusion, it now was an establishment of comfortable opulence. The casino was now inviting and a place where everyone could feel both comfortable and special at the same time.

The Play Ground Design

The playground design has proved itself to be exceptional at getting players to part with their monies. It a lesson was learned, it was that players need to feel at ease in order to reach for their wallets. From a psychological perspective, they were more understanding about losing, which in a roundabout way convinces them to spend more.

The Secrets of Casino Design: Slot Machine Layouts

A sobering fact is that slots machines earn the casino 40% of it’s total revenue in the 1970’s. Today that figure is around 70%. On the whole most casinos will have 10 x more slots machines than table games. So, we know just how important they are. And getting the players to the machines is a casino’s number one priority. back in the old days, slots were more or less all the same. But with today’s technology, there is a massive variety to choose from. So the casinos of today can group different machines in small groups. this gives the punter greater variety and also encourages a greater send. Online jackpot sites follow the same method. This is because, if he loses on one machine, he’ll try his luck on another, providing it’s different enough.

Smaller Groups Greater Spend

Traditionally, the slots machines were laid out in rows. Today, by placing them in smaller groups, with plenty of space around them, players can survey the room and then head towards the machine they have chosen. Also having the slots together, but away from other machines, means that players feel as if they are in a small group social environment. remember that if they’re comfortable, then they’re gonna spend more. When groups of younger punters come into the casino, they can now all crowd around a machine, increasing the play frequency and making the whole experience greater fun.

The Secrets of Casino Design: Table Game Layouts

Table game placement isn’t as critical as the placement of, say slots machines. This is because the casual gambler doesn’t hit the tables. That play is down to the regular gamblers. They will head straight to the table games as that’s what they’re here for. So you’ll find the table games are more often than not laced in the center of any casino. It’s also easier to both manage and secure them there. There is a definite advantage to clustering all the table games together. This is because the game play can become quite rowdy and animated. More especially if someone’s on a streak of good luck. This behavior brings other punters to the table and there’s a good chance, now they’ve seen the play, that they’ll feel more comfortable hanging around and trying a hand.

The actual gaming experience can be contagious. The more people there are playing at a table, the more players and on lookers it’ll attract. That’s why they call empty tables, “dead tables”. Now you know all of this, when you’re next playing in a casino, you’ll know that in a roundabout way, the casino designer is playing you!