Cashless facilities, ‘high energy’ sportsbooks, interactive gaming: Designing today’s casino
A lot of thought and work goes into the design of a new casino.
Every detail, from the overall theme to making sure that there isn’t any glare on the slot machines or table games, requires careful consideration.
The 73,000-square-foot mini-casino at 250 South Conestoga Drive in Shippensburg Township will include 549 slot machines and an electronic table games venues with live dealers and 48 machines, along with a 100-seat restaurant and sports bar. It’s expected to open on Jan. 26.
So, what’s it like to design a casino?
Two architects, Jim Murphy and Derek Sola of Connecticut-based JCJ Architecture, who worked on the design of Pennsylvania’s 15th and 16th casinos, Hollywood Casino York in Springettsbury Township, York County and Hollywood Casino Morgantown in Caernarvon Township, Berks County, said that it’s all about the patrons.
“It’s really about developing these kind of interesting, intriguing spaces that people are drawn to,” Sola said. “We try to create stories. Storytelling is a big component for us in developing the interiors, and creating great guest experiences.”
The first thing they do is listen to the client to understand their intention and aspirations for the property. Sola said they also research the local culture or region to generate concept ideas. For instance Hollywood Casino Morgantown is in more of a rural area while Hollywood Casino York is in more of an industrial area.
“There should be a consistency from beginning to end. As a guest is approaching the site, they see the project, it’s their first impression and once they enter the building they receive another kind set of impressions as they progress through the spaces,” he said. “It would be kind of odd to have one thing on the exterior and something different on the interior.”
JCJ Architecture isn’t the architect for Parx Casino Shippensburg, but there are some similarities between Hollywood Casino York and the new mini-casino. Both replaced big-box stores. Hollywood Casino York was built on the site of a former Sears, while Parx Casino Shippensburg is being built on the site of a former Lowe’s.
Hollywood Casino York was built at the York Galleria Mall. And Murphy points out one of the positive things about building a casino at a mall, is that shopping centers are designed for large amounts of visitors.
“It’s already been designed or accustomed to heavier traffic volumes that can more easier support a casino program and so the casino developer doesn’t need to bring new money to the table to accomplish that,” he said.
The same can be said for the former Lowe’s store, although it wasn’t part of a mall. But, it’s adjacent to a small Walmart anchored shopping center.
Sola said that it when it comes to mini-casinos, it’s a much more local experience. And Murphy added that the mini-casinos are usually a satellite, so in those cases there’s brand consideration, with the mini-casino acting as a feeder for the main casino allowing the franchise to connect with more people.
In the case of Penn Entertainment (formerly Penn National) – Hollywood Casino York and Hollywood Casino Morgantown are satellites for Hollywood Casino at the Penn National Race Course in East Hanover Township. Parx Casino Shippensburg is a satellite for Parx’s flagship facility in Buck County.
With the introduction of sports wagering in Pennsylvania, sportsbooks are the new big thing at casinos, like with Penn Entertainment’s implementation of Barstool Sportsbook at its casinos.
Both architects said the old-style sportsbooks were geared more towards horse racing – a more individualized experience -- while the newer ones offer more of a communal experience, with food and beverage, entertainment and a video wall.
“They’re intended to be more kind of high energy spaces than days of old,” Sola said.
Murphy said that the younger generation of gamblers are more sociable, so you’re seeing more interactive gaming and stadium seating gaming as well.
“There’s a community aspect to it,” he said.
Parx Casino Shippensburg doesn’t have a sportsbook but, it has a sports bar, a sports ticker and sports wagering kiosks, but not all in the same place.
And the centerpiece of Parx Casino Shippensburg is a large electronic table game area with 48 machines, live dealers and 60 televisions, providing that community aspect that Murphy says younger gamblers are looking for.
Sola said that another thing that has changed over time is the height of slot machines. He said they work with casino operators to arrange placing for taller machines so they don’t create a maze.
“They seem to be increasing in size every year,” he said. “That produces some sight-line challenges on the gaming floor, where typically as a guest enters into the building they should have the ability to see across the room or across the space and make decisions of where they want to go.”
And Kevin Brady, general manager of Parx Casino Shippensburg says that some games are incredibly tall.
“We try and put all the taller games on the perimeter of the facility,” he said.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected casino design?
Yes. A lot.
Both architects said they’re seeing the following at casinos:
- A greater focus on air filtration
- Higher cleaning protocols on the main floors
- Elimination of many buffets and self-serving soda stations
Parx Casino Shippensburg will a have an exterior component at its main restaurant, Liberty Bar and Grill. There isn’t access from the restaurant to the gaming floor. Instead it has an outside entrance. There’s no buffets or self-serving soda stations, either. And the gaming floor is smoke-free but there is an outside heated area for smoking.
So do casinos not have clocks and windows, so that patrons lose track of time?
Murphy said that’s Vegas lore.
“I never had a client specifically tell me that,” he said.
And he pointed out that these days, everybody has a clock in their pocket.
Sola said that daylighting is becoming more accepted in casinos. But he said there’s a concern that too much daylight can lead to glare on the video screens or gaming tables, affecting security camera visibility.
“Glare’s a big issue when designing a casino,” he said. “Not only on the face of the slot machines but say at the cage when you have tellers having cash transactions with the guests … If you have a highly reflective surface with a light on it, it’s going to create glare and it may really jeopardize the ability for a camera to zoom in and record the actions or activities.”
For the record, Brady confirms there aren’t any clocks at Parx Casino Shippensburg. And there’s no daylight beyond the front door.
But, there are certain things that you won’t see when you visit a casino. For instance, the gaming floor at Parx is built on a raised floor, with all of the wires underneath it, making it easier to move machines, if necessary.
