Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | December 2013 16 L ike many facets of the casino industry, architecture and design were forced to take a back seat to more immediate economic concerns as individual properties as well as entire gaming markets slogged through a protracted recovery from the worldwide financial crisis, a business catastrophe that the gaming industry finally appears to be putting in the rearview mirror. Primarily fueled by a casino development boom in Asia and South America and continuing opportunities in the more established American and Europeanmarketplaces, casino architects and designers are once again busily translating operator dreams and desires to physical reality. But to say it is back to business as usual after a five-year detour would be something of a misnomer; many gaming markets and consumers have undergone a profound Designing Minds Casino architecture and design is busily adapting to an evolving gaming landscape By Paul Doocey IN FOCUS evolution over the past half decade, and these changes are having an impact on bricks-and-mortar properties and the people who design and develop them. Paul Steelman, CEO of Steelman Partners, a Las Vegas-based international architectural firm that has designed projects in over 50 countries, has felt these seismic shifts, and has even identified the one that may be having the biggest current influence. Speaking to industry executives at September’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, he said, “Whatever jurisdiction we’re working in and whatever language we are speaking, one item is always being brought up with the upmost importance: you must design this property to appeal to the Chinese gambler.” The growing influence of the Asian gambler on casino design Younger clientele are more interested in the entertainment and amenities offerings at a resort than they are the gaming.