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Do’s and Don’ts of Gaming Room Success
Paul Kelly Design
02 9660 8299
Optimising a pub’s gaming operation is about providing an environment where players feel relaxed and free to engage with the machines in their own way. The space represents an escape from the day-to-day and should reflect the kind of place the gamer would like to go to vacation.
Paul Kelly is working with hotel and club operations on some of the most innovative gaming spaces in Australia, including De Angelis’ Macarthur Tavern, and has detailed his top “do’s” and “don’ts” of gaming room design that have made him a leader in this arena.
Five areas of design consideration
Layout
DO
- Create a pattern that lets patrons easily walk through the room, allowing them to peruse the machines and options
- Position the cashier booth to be the first thing seen when entering. Where possible, have the cashier in view from all positions – provides a sense of security
- Where possible, have the area appear as one room, even the smoking and non-smoking
DON’T
- Create too many dead ends or areas people cannot walk through
- Put more than four machines in a row
- Make patrons leave the area for things (amenities, service, etc)
Service
DO
- Provide a cashier / gaming bar and CRT. Let the customer choose interaction with an employee or not
- Let customers have access to their own complimentary services, don’t make them have to ask (coffee/tea/snacks)
- Roster staff exclusively for gaming customers, who may be spending hundreds, rather than sharing with a beverage bar and customers buying drinks
DON’T
- Provide too much alcohol, which promotes discussion. Serious gamers don’t talk to anyone
Lighting
DO
- Use indirect and reflected lighting, and allow the machines to illuminate the room
- Balance the lighting level with the machines. A Dali system allows lights to be adjusted individually
- Illuminate important entrance points and service points, allowing people to ‘hide’ in the light levels of the rest of the room
DON’T
- Provide a lot of lighting
- Have lights directly over machines
- Use any lights above ‘warm white’
Facility
DO
- Give the gaming room its own external entrance
- Provide a lobby before a choice between gaming and non-gaming options
- Have an ATM at all exit points
- Give the gaming room its own toilet and bar facilities
- Foster the feeling of the gaming room being its own venue
DON’T
- Make the gaming room the only smoking area in the venue
- Internalise the gaming room, preventing external access
- Share toilets with other parts of venue, if possible. They should be seen to be part of gaming room, not obviously the rest of the venue
- Provide single access / co-gender toilets. Have separate male and female
Position
DO
- Position the gaming room such that it can be viewed from outside as its own venue, allowing customers to come who may not come to pubs
- Give it the ability to advertise itself – signage
- Give consideration to parking and discretion
- Allow for internal access, preferably off the sports betting rather than horse racing / track area
DON’T
- Make the internal access off the bistro
- Put the gaming room next to the high-volume beverage areas
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