The Crystal Ball
What will the casino floor of the future look like ? | BY PATRICK ROBERTS
At G2E 2015 , the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers ( AGEM ) held a seminar on the “ Casino Floor of the Future .” It was a very popular session because , in fact , no one knows exactly what the gaming floor is going to look like , and the vision has changed markedly within the past decade .
No longer do you see an ocean of slot machines with little islands of table games . Today ’ s casino floor is less orderly , more meandering . Banks of like slot machines are arranged in such a manner to welcome players . And table games are sometimes grouped together under unique architectural features , or with a theme like a Party Pit .
But competition has also shrunk the casino floor . In Atlantic City , which has seen half its revenue disappear , four of 12 casinos have closed and the remaining casinos have downsized their casino floors . At the Tropicana , former casino floor space has been transformed into restaurants , bars or nightclubs . At Resorts , a food court is now the connection between the hotel rooms and the casino floor .
So , speculation on what a casino will look like 10 years from now is only that — speculation .
But consider these elements . Players are getting more comfortable using their personal devices , like smartphones or tablets , to play games . What if a casino / manufacturer can design a smartphone game that can be played for real money on the casino floor ?
Skill games are the big buzz word these days , but what shape will they take ? Most likely , it will be competition between players , like an auto racing game . First one to the finish line wins the lion ’ s share of the money bet .
And how about attracting more millennials to the casino by combining what they like most right now — day and nightclubs — with gambling ?
And how about those high-tech touchscreen tabletops ? Can you imagine them as the ultimate in social networking inside a casino ?
Want to watch a football game in a casino ? Why not add the “ in-running ” element to the betting options on your mobile app ?
Got a group coming with a specific theme or ethnicity ? Let ’ s design a carousel / pit so that you recognize the group and its leaders .
Clearly , the casino floor of the future will hold some new and exciting surprises . As designers and operators , it ’ s time to shape that future in a way that pleases the guests — and the bottom lines .
66 CASINO DESIGN 2015