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by (120 points)
I've heard the name Bill Friedman in relation to casino design. Who is he and how has he influenced the way casinos are built?

1 Answer

0 votes
by (300 points)
Bill Friedman is a former gambling addict who became a consultant for casinos, helping them to maximize their profits by getting more people to gamble. He wrote a book called 'Designing Casinos to Dominate the Competition' which outlines his principles for casino design. His ideas include creating smaller, intimate gaming areas and avoiding straight, wide passages in favor of maze-like layouts to keep players engaged and gambling.
by (100 points)
Bill Friedman sounds inspiring all right. Imagine if someone went through AA to clean up their alcohol addiction and then spent the rest of their lives coming up with ways for bars to better turn people into alcoholics.
by (100 points)
Bill Friedman: I have a list of design ideas that will help casinos make more money.



IKEA: We LOVE your book!!
by (100 points)
I work at a casino and always wanted to know why it was such a hassle to walk through the casino floor.
by (100 points)
My younger sister and I once went to see a show at a casino. We got SO turned around trying to find our way out to where we had parked. And while it was happening, I thought it was likely the place had been designed that way on purpose. Normally I love exploring buildings, but seeing all the grim people throwing away their money kinda sucked the fun out of it.
by (100 points)
How to get people to never leave a Casino.
First; I don't know about nearly any of the first advise from the book. I'd imagine from just looking toward the Casino's I've operated, that would not, even remotely, end well.

1) The first key is to keep your mind distracted. This can be done by a number of ways; First and foremost is going to be free drinks, entertainment, and make it loud and bright. But, not too bright. The actual "Casino" must have dim lighting, but the machines and events must be brightened up specifically for you to see them. The ceiling must be tall, 20ft+ ceilings are important, as you want people to feel like there is "no real way to see" the ceiling to leave, so they look at the ground. The ground, namely the rug, must have a crazy pattern or design, put in a way specifically allowing the audience to get lost into it. Add in those amenities of "free drinks", and you have yourself a customer who may just see themselves as having "a little too much fun" with getting lost when their entire life is "following a direction".

2) Slot banks are crucial for attaining a concurrent audience. The principled concept isn't to "line up every machine in a row and go". You want to keep separation and space, whilst having them easily serviceable and capable of being off whilst others are on. The narrative here is to set, say 6 machines in a 3x3 'bank' and do this across the entire Casino. More expensive, alluring machines will be off on their own, right near the walkway to entice players walking to try them. Say the Game of Thrones machine, or the Silent Hill machine; Something to catch the eye of the passer-byer to say "Okay I want to try that". The banks must be within a specific set distance, but they must be offset from each other. They shouldn't, even remotely, be lined up equally aside from along a fixed wall. Creating a "maze" with the slot banks allows the players to get lost in that location, pushing them more to "just try another slot machine" verses finding their way to the floor.

3) Table Games must be in an open area, but they must be in the middle of the floors. You never want to have the most alluring "method of winning money" directly presentable to the general public. Unironically, you're equally as tracked at a table game as you are at a slot machine. You'd likely be more lucky to "win at a slot machine" than a table game, however both take a keen amount of skill to know what you're looking for, and the table games are a more traditional skill set people typically can figure out quickly (that isn't directly involved with cheating, at least).

4) The way how a Casino makes money is by keeping you there and entertained. A Casino isn't there to "steal money from you". Casino's are there to GIVE YOU A GET AWAY, a vacation -- An escape from your busy and concurrently chaotic life to give you the feeling of being a kid again. To peoples dismay; Casino's actually help people more often than not, and many casino's around the globe have made various efforts in the last decade (at the advent of technology) to try and stop addiction within their floors from occurring. They ban players who seem to be addicted, and they try to keep people entertained without directly causing an addiction.

5) Typically if you're a "big loser" at a Casino, it also means you end up getting a lot of specific invitations and "free" amenities at their resorts or casinos'. If you lose a lot, you may get a free meal for 4, or a free weekend hotel stay. Some get free spa and others get the entire package all for "no charge". The idea is that "You spent $xxxx here, so here is what we would consider that in our services fee". Although the Casino may only spent a few hundred, where you spent a few thousand; This is no different than the Hilton or Sheraton's stays; Which may rack to a bill in 4 digits "easily", the Casino is charging you it at the cost you provided for, inherently, having fun with your money instead of giving it to some individually wealthy person.

6) Employees at Casino's typically are paid higher than everywhere in the adjacent region's sector. If you have a Hotel staff at the Casino, they're likely paid more, and with tips, verses any counterpart position. Moreover, anyone in the Table Games or Slots departments may obtain significantly higher wages than what their actual education may be provided for. Dealers make far more money verses their amount of time spent "in school/training" and bosses in these sections make up in the 6 figures. Management and Directors are obtainable by normal staffing at Casino's, allowing someone to feasibly "live the dream" if they're a lifer; And they could actually obtain a 7 figure salary from what would have originally been "starting at minimum wage".
One could legitimately argue that yes, Casino's are a great way to "waste your money", they at the very least give back to the community by providing beneficial work places and wages to their employees, and consistently repay the customers by giving them a taste of their childhood, far after they reached the expiry age of acting like that.

7) To continue on with point above; Casino's are "known for old people" in the US. The problem isn't what you think; It's that "older people" have the most money. Casino's actually just attract people that have money to spend or who want to "waste their money to gain money". One could legitimately make an argument that the lottery is a form of gambling, along with the stock market. All of these are "pretending to be for the working class" but aren't entirely. The lottery is designed for the working class, but it's also designed to inherently put hope that "if the working class puts in $1,000 a year, they too could potentially become a millionaire for a 0.005% chance of winning". Whereas the Casino, you may put $1,000 in, but you'll always receive, at the minimum, amenities and various "luxury" things for your generous offerings.

I hope this helps people understand the points here. Casino's do this specifically for you to have fun. For you to get lost, and let lose. For you to experience "life" again, when your life, as a 35+ year old adult, has turned into a 9-5 'suit and tie almost retired' hell. They do this for YOUR enjoyment, and for YOUR get away. This is why you book at a Casino or a Hotel with a Casino near by -- It's essentially a 1980's arcade for adults, except put it to the modern era.

Times changes. At one point, this would have been valid. But that point has been gone for over 20 years.
by (100 points)
1:22 "every trick comes from a guy named Bill Friedman" I laughed out loud at this part, Every. Single. Time. LOL!!
by (100 points)
I had wondered why the Luxor hotel separated the atrium from the gambling area which is one floor down, until I read that principle "low ceilings beat high ceilings". It all makes sense now.

This "game principle" also explains why I hated being in every Casino designed by this principle, but really enjoyed being at the Bellagio
by (100 points)
I went into casino once. it wasn't very big but with how the floor layout was designed, I was easily confused and lost my bearings. I had to find a wall to be able to find the right exit that I wanted to initially find when I went in.
by (100 points)
Huh.

I'm a trucker, and casinos both often have truck parking, and are much more scenic than truck stops, so I spend a lot of time at them.

I don't gamble at all, but I have definitely noticed a lot of casinos are easy to get lost in.

I actually usually get intimidated walking onto the floor there because it's so unwelcoming, I've just never thought about why. It's like entering a labyrinth sometimes, and I'm definitely aware of what it's designed to do, I just didn't realize how manipulative the design could be.
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