And the only surefire way to earn profits in a casino is to have more customers play and come back frequently. When utilized effectively, casino lighting can become a tool for attracting repeat customers.
This article will walk you through all the details of casino lighting you should know as a casino owner or a manager. We will talk about lighting psychology, its role in creating the best casino environment, and the types of casino lighting you should use to light up your next big project.
Importance of Lighting in Casinos
Have you ever wondered why casinos and arcades are always so colorful and jazzed up with flashy lights?
There is a science behind it. Studies have shown that people don’t like visiting dark and congested places on their day-offs and vacations. Another study explains that flashy lights, especially red, can significantly influence risky decisions during sports betting and gambling. Lighting coupled with high-tempo music or live music performances boosts a player’s adrenaline, encouraging him to spend more money in hopes of a big catch. Bill Friedman brought forward the idea of using flashy lights in the late 90s.
On the other hand, some studies suggest that dim and accent lighting makes people stay longer and spend more money. The idea revolves around making people feel comfortable, and Roger Thomas is credited for this concept.
As an owner of a casino space, you should know that you can change the mood and environment with just a tiny tweak in your casino lighting solution. It can just be a switch from cool to warm color or adding natural light. As more people become frequent visitors to your perfectly lit space, your revenue will start growing exponentially.
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Lighting Needs in Modern-Day Casinos
Nowadays, casinos are not only about slot machines, poker, and rolling the dice but more about a place where one can find many activities such as drinking, dining, rides, and even shopping. Many casinos incorporate several such ideas to appeal to a larger audience and increase their customer base. This means you need to light up each space accordingly.
1. Gaming Floor
First, let’s talk about how you should light up the primary area: the gaming floor.
The gaming floor is typically filled with slot machines and gaming tables. The slot machines must be illuminated adequately with hanging pendant lights or recessed downlights. Since the slot machines also have their light, you need about 100 lux to light up the area around them. On the other hand, the playing spaces where people gather to play, such as a gaming table, require about 500 lux for perfect illumination and a better gaming experience.
It largely depends on the lighting you’re going for, but “cool” lights tend to excite the audience and arouse them to take action. If you’ve to light up a big, lounge-type space, you can opt for warmer lights to create a sense of comfort and ease, using Roger Thomas’ concept.
The lighting solution boils down to how you want to style your casino.
2. Drink Stations and Bars
Bar lighting is almost similar to dining lights but focuses more on relaxation. People come to drinking stations to relax or take a break from casino games. This demands ambient lighting that creates a sense of comfort and ease. Use warmer lights in this region. You could also light up the bars using uplights that shine through the table surfaces, creating a dazzling effect lighting solution that goes well with a casino setting.
One another important factor in determining the best lighting is the time of the day. You could go for dimmable lights that can be controlled at any time according to the mood you want to create. You could also use smart LEDs that automatically change color according to the time of the day.
Again, this lighting solution depends on your overall casino lighting design.
3. Dining Area
Lighting up dining areas usually depends upon the type of property they are attached to. A dining area with a casino should reflect the overall mood and ambiance of the space. It will be slightly different from stand-alone restaurant-style lighting.
The generic lighting recommendations include 800 lx bulbs, a CRI greater than 80, warmer color temperatures, and recessed lights or hanging pendants right above the table to create an intimate lighting design.
It’s best to use dimmable lights as they give you control over your lighting, and you can adjust it anytime to match your desired output.
4. Shopping Area
Shopping areas inside casinos are a great attraction for visitors. Usually, a combination of ambient, task lighting, and decorative lights is preferred in shopping areas to attract customers and make the products shine in glass showcases. Retail workspaces could use up to 70 lumens and cooler color temperatures.
5. Private Spaces
Suppose your casino has a VIP lounge that caters to a few clients. In that case, you can go for decorative lights such as fancy chandeliers and sconces to create a rich vibe that is relaxing at the same time as how it’s done in Caesars Palace, situated in the Las Vegas strip.
Meanwhile, the safety of VIPs also needs to be ensured. Don’t forget to provide sufficient lighting for the security cameras’ recordings.
What to Avoid in a Casino Lighting?
Many people complain about ceiling lights making the screen invisible because of the glare. Another issue that is usually raised is the glare in security cameras. Ensure the lighting fixtures don’t cause glare on the screens, cameras, or gaming tables, or your audience might suffer from eye strains or migraines, and as a result, avoid coming the next time.
The lighting should be evenly distributed, so every gaming table is lit. This reduces the chances of cheating during gambling and helps the cameras record everything.
The casino management may ask you to follow a few lighting regulations so the security cameras can catch everything happening on the tables.
Moreover, adding more slot machines or tables sometimes changes the gaming floor’s layout. Your lighting solution should be able to allow any layout changes.
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Types of Lighting to Grow Your Casino Business
You require a combination of lights with different brightness levels and color temperatures to create the optimal lighting solution for a casino. One thing to note here is that casino lighting is highly subjective and depends on the client’s needs. You could go with Bill Friedmans’s design of using bright and cool colors to create a sense of urgency or go with warmer and more comfortable tones as laid down by Roger Thomas.
In any case, the following are the lighting fixtures widely used in casino and gaming arcade settings.
- LED Recessed Lights
Recessed lights will provide the homogeneity you need in any space. It also has a wide application in casino settings owing to its subtle and obscure design and adjustable beam angles. LED recessed lights come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and designs to suit your needs, like ultra-thin or RGB color-changing recessed lights.
- LED Pendant Lights
Pendant lights are a great way to illuminate the tables in a casino space. You can choose from various designs to complement your casino interiors and mood.
- LED Strip Lights
LED strip lights provide a variety of brightness levels and colors. These flexible strips can be installed easily in any desired shape or design by cutting to the desired length.
Such lights can give off a variety of colors. You can also control them to emit the desired output.
- LED Neon Lights
Neon lights are used for signs and outlining any architectural feature. They also have color-changing abilities and are highly energy efficient.
- LED Wall Washers
LED wall washers homogeneously illuminate the walls and hide any imperfection in the illuminated area. They are great for lighting up the interior or exterior of the casino building.
- LED Floodlights
You can create a dramatic effect by using floodlights at the entrance of the casino space. Fandy floodlights can also light up the stage or live performances inside a casino for more fun.
Final Thoughts
Casino lighting largely depends upon your desired output. There are many ways you could light up a gaming space. You could use colorful fancy lights to arouse the visitors to take bigger risks and make rash decisions, or you could use warm and softer hues that light up the atmosphere comfortably and create a sense of ease and relaxation so visitors can stay for a long time.
Remember: your final lighting design should make the players and gamblers connect with the space, stay for a long time, and visit again and again.
RC Lighting is Your One-Stop Shop for Casino Lighting
Are you having trouble finding the best combination of lights to light up your casino? We have the knowledge you are seeking. Our team can curate the right lighting design considering your needs, budget, and casino layout.
We want the best for our customers, which is why we make sure our lighting fixtures stand the test of time and require zero maintenance. Made with high-quality raw materials and tested under strict conditions, our products can take your projects to the next level.
Choose from our vast catalog of LED recessed lights, LED strip lights, LED wall washers, LED floodlights, and much more. Contact us today and find the best lighting solution for your casino.
