<\/p>\n
The new mission for casino operators: Look less like casinos.<\/p>\n
New developments, including one planned by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, tout their outdoor spaces and amenities. Older gaming halls are remodelling to add natural light, upscale restaurants and gathering places like bowling alleys.<\/p>\n
The new options are designed to shed local casinos\u2019 traditional, dark-and-smoky reputations. In particular, they\u2019re targeting a generation of newly legal gamblers who have gotten used to doing everything, including betting, with clicks and swipes from the convenience of their living rooms.<\/p>\n
Even though Gen Zs are more likely to gamble than their Gen X parents and baby boomer grandparents, they\u2019re less likely to do so at physical casinos and sportsbooks, according to a 2025 survey by the credit reporting agency TransUnion. Instead, they\u2019re placing their bets digitally.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Online sportsbooks have become especially ubiquitous. Half of men ages 18 to 49 in the US have accounts with a service like DraftKings Inc. or FanDuel, according to a Siena Research Institute survey, to say nothing of those who are placing sports bets via prediction markets like Kalshi or Polymarket.<\/p>\n
A watering hole<\/p>\n
That\u2019s led casinos, particularly those in smaller and middle markets, to jump on the \u201cexperience\u201d bandwagon. It \u201chas to be beyond just what you can get on your device,\u201d said Jennifer Weissman, chief marketing officer at Penn Entertainment Inc., which operates casinos across the US. \u201cYounger audiences are looking for something much more social and community-oriented when they leave their house.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The company spent $360 million to give an old riverboat new life as the Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora, about 35 miles west of Chicago. The sportsbook is fashioned as a \u201clocal watering hole.\u201d If the venue\u2019s new celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is too mom-coded, there\u2019s also a food hall with street-style tacos and spicy chicken sandwiches. The murals on the walls are painted by local artists; the first comedian on the fall schedule is occasional Fox News guest Ben Bankas.<\/p>\n
Other operators are deserting the \u201cgross and smoky\u201d vibe in favor of a sleeker look complemented by amenities off the casino floor, said Jordan Bender, a gaming equities research analyst at Citizens. The entertainment and other enticements are like \u201cmouse traps,\u201d he said \u2014 ways to get customers to spend more, whether they\u2019re betting or not.<\/p>\n
In essence, it\u2019s a classic strategy. For years, casinos have leveraged building design to encourage spending, whether by eliminating clocks and windows so gamblers lose track of time, or allowing smoking to keep players from stepping outside for breaks. And headline entertainment has paid off for casinos since Elvis set up at the International in 1969.<\/p>\n
Dopamine hit<\/p>\n
What\u2019s new now is the consumer. When Gen Zs go to Vegas, for example, they\u2019re less prone to gamble and more likely to attend shows than older folks, according to a 2025 report commissioned by the city\u2019s convention and visitors authority.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like, \u2018Let\u2019s go gambling,\u2019\u201d said Nathan Peak, president of HBG Design, a firm that has worked on at least 15 major casino renovations in the US since 2020. \u201cIt\u2019s about, \u2018What can we do tonight to have a good time?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Read:
South Africa\u2019s sports betting boom comes at a cost
Five gambling myths that may bankrupt you<\/p>\n
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Lakin McLaughlin, 28, said she goes to the Hard Rock casino in Bristol, Virginia, about once a year, when she visits her best friend, because it\u2019s \u201cone of the only things to do\u201d in the small town.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll hang out, drink cocktails and, as the night passes, McLaughlin may find herself feeding a couple of $20 bills into a slot machine \u2014 but that\u2019s it. While older customers sit \u201czoned out\u201d in front of the machines for hours, she said, people her age aren\u2019t really compelled to gamble.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many other things that provide that dopamine hit in our generation, that I don\u2019t know if chasing that particular high is that interesting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
More concerts, less smoking<\/p>\n
In decades past, the gaming floor may have represented about 60% of a regional casino property, according to HBG. Now it might be just 40% \u2013 or even smaller.<\/p>\n
At Metropolitan Park, Cohen\u2019s planned Hard Rock casino and entertainment complex next to Citi Field in Queens, the gaming floor will take up just 10% of the property. Design materials posted on the project\u2019s website highlight 25 acres (10 hectares) of public park space and athletic fields, sleek buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows, a live music venue and a food hall with local vendors.<\/p>\n
Gregg Pasquarelli, who helped lead the project\u2019s design team at SHoP Architects, said the goal was \u201can authentic sports and entertainment district, rather than a casino object in the middle of a parking lot.\u201d Guests, he said, might come for a concert or dinner, then wind up at the roulette table afterward.<\/p>\n
No Smoking<\/p>\n
Some properties are moving toward Vegas-style resort makeovers, with luxury wellness offerings. Last year, the Gun Lake Casino Resort in western Michigan added a spa, pools, a swim-up bar and a 16-story hotel. A new atrium lets natural light flood the lobby.<\/p>\n
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Gamblers can breathe easier, too: Many casinos have banned indoor smoking or significantly shrunk their smoking areas in recent years. In some cases, the change was spurred by state law. In others, pandemic-era mask policies ushered in a general expectation of smoke-free indoor environments.<\/p>\n
For Penn, food, hotel rooms and other non-gaming amenities have accounted for an increasing share of the company\u2019s revenue over the past several years, regulatory filings show.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This week, the company announced plans to relocate its New Orleans riverboat casino to a landside property, a $195 million development that will incorporate an existing hotel while adding a sportsbook and multiple dining options.<\/p>\n
Thanks to online platforms, people are getting interested in gambling at a younger age, Weissman said. That means the company has to reconsider who its core customers are, she said, and who they\u2019ll be in the future.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#Casinos #Gen #problem #casinos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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