Inside Asian Gaming

9 8 the world. Also evident at Sands Macau are Mr Steelman’s preference for well-lit gaming spaces,with more concentrated lighting over the tables, since darkness confuses gamblers. He stresses the need for short walking dis- tances between the lobby, hotel rooms, ca- sino floor and shopping areas to encourage spending, and allows for plenty of space be- tween tables and slot machines so that play- ers do not feel trapped. Works in progress The latest PSDG creation to be unveiled is the lavish Casino at The Empire in London’s Leicester Square. The Vegas-style complex, run by London Clubs International, opened last month and houses 30 gaming tables and a dedicated poker room called“Face to Face,” along with a VIP room, two restaurants, three bars and a nightclub. It replaces the Empire Ballroom in the historic Empire cinema build- ing,and features a dramatic“Hollywood-style” staircase with enclosed fires contrasting with a huge glass chandelier. In 2003, PSDG set up an Asian branch office, PSDG Asia, in Macau, and is currently working on nine projects around the conti- nent, including seven in Macau, a develop- ment in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator and the sprawling Ho Tram Strip project in Vietnam. Three of PSDG’s Macau projects will be lo- cated on the peninsula in what Mr Steelman terms“the Lisboa district.”PSDGdesigned the Four Seasons, which is being built on lot 2 of the Cotai Strip (along which the firmwas also involved in the master planning of Las Vegas Sands Corp’s anchor property, Venetian Ma- cao, and adjacent casino resorts developed by LVS on lots 5 and 6), and another project on Cotai. The Sands Macau expansion, which is currently under construction and includes a hotel tower with approximately 240 rooms, was also designed by PSDG. PSDG’s biggest Macau project is the US$2 billion 2,000 hotel-room Macao Studio City, the first phase of which is slated to open in the first quarter of 2009. True to PSDG’s mis- sion to expand the non-gaming offerings at casino resorts, Studio City will have 3.7 mil- lion sq. ft of gross floor area, of which about 1 million sq. ft will be devoted to retail space, film and TV studios, a concert hall and expo facilities, and a relatively small 200,000 sq. ft set aside for gaming. Mr Steelman explains that “Macau’s casino-centric society is like it used to be 20 years ago in Las Vegas,” and projects like Studio City will lead the city’s transformation towards the Vegas model. Designing the Macau properties pres- ents certain challenges for PSDG, which thus far has primarily developed casino resorts in the US and Europe. For example, “we don’t really understand too much how a casino is designed without cars. We’re such a car cul- ture now.” Macau’s casino resorts will be fed primar- ily by buses and pedestrian flow. PSDG has experience designing for buses in Atlantic City, but Cotai will also involve significant pedestrian movement, particularly through enclosed elevated walkways planned to link the properties along Cotai.“There’s kind of a second floor life as well as a ground floor life here [in Macau]. Las Vegas was developed as a ground floor city. In Vegas we’re trying to make that first impression on the streets. In Cotai, we’re going to be saying come in on the pedestrian walkways. Mr Steelman continues: “There are two things a casino architect is really good at. jcmgold.com.hk • 852.24297187 three s JCM HAS JOINED WITH TRANSACT AND TOVIS. JCM’s bill validators. TransAct’s ticket printers. Tovis’ LCD screens. Imagine how much time you’d save if you could get all of it -- with JCM’s stability and stellar customer service -- in one package. That’s the reality of the new JCM/TransAct/Tovis partnership. You have everything you need at your beck and phone call. And you’ll put yourself in excellent company. good things COME IN The Empire, in Leicester Square The comming Four Seasons on the Cotai Strip