Changing Places
When casinos around the world closed for at least four months — some still are not open — the closure impacts went far beyond the walls of the casinos . The suppliers to the casinos — slot machines , table games , technology systems , furniture , food and beverage and a thousand other items previously unknown — were shut down as well . Employees were furloughed .
Transportation stopped . The world came to a grinding halt . It is , after all , 2020 .
But one of the bright spots in an otherwise dreary situation was that it gave companies time to think about solutions . Yes , solutions to the Covid crisis for sure , but solutions to the long-term issues that gaming and casinos will surely face , with or without Covid .
One of those disciplines that responded positively was the design side . I ’ ve done a dozen or so podcasts and interviews with architects , designers , construction personnel and others involved in the design , renovation and construction of casinos , and the upbeat view on the industry and the shape of casinos over the next decade was uplifting .
Even before Covid , the casino floor was changing . The rows upon rows of slot machines were slowly disappearing ( except perhaps for Encore Boston Harbor and its 4,000 games ). There was repurposing of former casino floor space to sportsbooks , food halls or lounges . Machines were more likely to be clustered in four-piece carousels with lots of elbow room . Hotel lobbies were more elegant and comfortable . It was a change that was slowly developing long before Covid .
But when the pandemic hit and everything closed , seemingly overnight , that ’ s when the real change began to occur . Social distancing became a thing . The cleaning crew was suddenly the most important department . Virtual work became the norm — unless you dealt cards or attended slots for a living .
And that ’ s when the innovators shifted
Roger Gros , Publisher
into high gear . Plexiglas became a commodity . Every other slot machine was put to sleep . Masks became a fashion statement .
We knew this pandemic won ’ t last forever . But what happens when we return ? Will there be some residual social distancing ? Will people continue to wear masks even though the danger has passed ? Can we just pick up where we left off ?
No , the smart people understand that the impacts of the pandemic will last far into the future . Will entertainment and sports events ever be the same ? Let ’ s set some parameters in seating groups . Will nightclubs ever open again ? Let ’ s repurpose that space for a cool pool experience . How about meetings and conventions ? The larger your meeting space the more success you ’ ll have attracting trade shows and conferences .
I ’ ll be interested to see designs that come out post-Covid . Paul Steelman , who designed Derek Stevens ’ Circa , told me that the design process was long done before the pandemic hit , so even though Circa opened in October in the later stages , it wasn ’ t truly influenced .
However , Nick Schoenfeldt from TBE said it did change the way they designed Fort McDowell ’ s impressive expansion , even though it happened after the fact . He said the slots were spread out more and poker was eliminated . The buffet has been substantially changed and hooked into an ordering technology that wasn ’ t initially considered .
Buffet changes have already been tried at Wynn Las Vegas and it failed . Casino executives didn ’ t really like buffets to begin with because they are loss leaders , so now they have the opportunity to reimagine the allyou-can-eat concept .
So there will be lots of changes in design for casinos of the future . While it ’ s still unclear what those changes will consist of , they are coming without a doubt . So don ’ t miss Casino Style 2021 where we ’ ll hopefully have more direction of the casino of the future .
A GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PUBLICATION 2020
Roger Gros , Publisher | rgros @ ggbmagazine . com twitter : @ GlobalGamingBiz
Frank Legato , Editor | flegato @ ggbmagazine . com twitter : @ FranklySpeakn
Monica Cooley , Art Director mcooley @ ggbmagazine . com
Terri Brady , Sales & Marketing Director tbrady @ ggbmagazine . com
Becky Kingman-Gros , Chief Operating Officer bkingros @ ggbmagazine . com
Lisa Johnson , Communications Advisor lisa @ lisajohnsoncommunications . com twitter : @ LisaJohnsonPR
Columnists Paul Heretakis
Contributing Editors
Dave Bontempo twitter : @ bontempomedia Dean Macomber | Patrick Roberts __________________
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Rino Armeni , President , Armeni Enterprises
• Mark A . Birtha , Senior Vice President & General Manager , Hard Rock International
•
Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs , President , Lifescapes International
• Nicholas Casiello Jr ., Shareholder , Fox Rothschild
• Jeffrey Compton , Publisher , CDC E-Reports twitter : @ CDCNewswire
•
Dean Macomber , President , Macomber International , Inc .
• Stephen Martino , Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer , MGM Resorts International , twitter : @ stephenmartino
•
Jim Rafferty , President , Rafferty & Associates
• Thomas Reilly , Vice President Systems Sales , Scientific Games
• Michael Soll , President , The Innovation Group
• Katherine Spilde , Executive Director , Sycuan Gaming Institute , San Diego State University , twitter : @ kspilde
•
Ernie Stevens , Jr ., Chairman , National Indian Gaming Association twitter : @ NIGA1985
•
Roy Student , President , Applied Management Strategies
• David D . Waddell , Partner Regulatory Management Counselors PC
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The views and opinions expressed by the writers and columnists of GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor .
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4 CASINO STYLE 2020