PUBLICATIONS
Brave New World
The impact of millennials on casino design BY PAUL STEELMAN
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It will be a whole new world . Casinos will be changing drastically in almost every way , from planning to design to operations to marketing .
1 Casinos will once again become the center of activity . Years ago Vegas did not feature any nightclubs . In 1978 , Paul Anka opened the city ’ s first real nightclub , “ Jubilation ” on Harmon Avenue . The casino owners thought that the nightclub should always be in the casino . As the millennials grow older , the casino will once again become the nightclub , if the casino is designed , marketed and operated to take advantage of these 80 million new customers in the United States .
2 We design casinos into five distinctive segments today . In the near future , the casino will need to be designed in segments that allow a millennial to have a unique experience . That experience will not be able to cohabitate with a 60-yearold slot player .
3 The casino will
need to feature the games that millennials have been raised on playing — competitive , highly graphic video games , in which the prizes are somewhat determined by the player ’ s skill level .
4 The gaming area , to replace the nightclub , will need to be more social , more interactive . Millennial gamblers might not want to speak with a dealer , but they will need to speak and interact with their friends .
5 Casinos will need stand-up gaming machines as the world starts to consider that sitting is the new smoking and the iWatch asks you to stand every hour .
6 Casinos will need to be gorgeous spaces that have the ability to change or interact with their smartphone . Casinos will not be
In the near future , the casino will need to be designed in segments that allow a millennial to have a unique experience .
loud , dark nightclubs , but beautiful , mustsee , must-experience spaces . These gaming spaces will change into different themes from the wonders of life and the world . Casinos will not be the attraction for “ just the gambler ,” but will be the main attraction for the facility .
7 Since the casino will cost more than a fancy chandelier , colorful carpets , etc ., more of the compatible uses will look into and participate with this unique attraction .
8 Casino equipment will also need to be able to seamlessly adopt “ Apple Pay ” and other cash processing systems that millennials trust — since the millennials do not carry wads of cash .
The future will radically change the casino design for millennial gamblers . Hopefully , a casino developer / operator can take a portion of his / her casino to create this new vision of an adult-oriented entertainment center . The developers will need to experiment to create a unique design , sometimes starting small and growing with success , but it needs to be started . Just as TESLA risked changing the driving world , one casino probably owned and operated by millennials will change the world of casino gaming forever .
Paul Steelman , CEO of Steelman Partners , is recognized as a visionary designer of global entertainment , hospitality and gaming architecture . Steelman has designed buildings for the mavericks of the gaming industry , including Kirk Kerkorian , Steve Wynn , Sheldon Adelson and Stanley Ho . Based in Las Vegas , Steelman Partners is an international architectural firm specializing in the multi-disciplinary facets of entertainment architecture , interior design , graphic design , lighting and branding .
24 CASINO DESIGN 2015