The immense variety of gambling options has long not been the only thing that attracts visitors to casinos. People like to be taken care of, to be pampered, if you wish. And casino developers are well-aware of this fact and more than happy to provide their customers with what they crave for and even a little more than that.
This is why more and more expensive casino projects have been undertaken in recent years. Architects and designers have become bolder and braver in their vision of what the gambling venues of the 21st century should look like. Massive, multi-story structures with welcoming facades, colorful, stylish, and cozy interior – this is what contemporary casino players look for upon arriving at a particular venue and what owners are glad to offer.
Here are six of the largest-scale and most expensive casino projects that are currently being carried out. All of those involve the world’s most renowned gambling operators, architectural and design firms, and thousands of construction workers to ensure that once completed, each one of the properties would be a true feast for the senses.
Studio City Macau (Scheduled Opening: September 2015)
Melco Crown Entertainment, a joint venture between Hong Kong businessman Lawrence Ho’s Melco International Development and Australian casino mogul James Packer’s Crown, is in charge of this $3.2-billion project.
Despite the series of regulatory and ownership hurdles, Macau’s newest integrated resort is to open doors in September 2015 and is to employ more than 10,000 people. Apart from the large casino floor, which is to spread over 500,000 square feet, the Hollywood-inspired complex would offer an immense variety of accommodation, entertainment, dining, and retail options.
The 6-million-square-foot property would feature two hotel towers with about 1,600 rooms – the Celebrity Tower and the Star Tower. Between those, the so-called Golden Reel will be raising about 130 meters high. In other words, Studio City Macau would feature the highest Ferris wheel in Asia.
Melco Crown will also offer to visitors of its newest resort a Batman Dark Flight attraction, developed together with Warner Bros. and known to be the first flight simulation ride based on the legendary Gotham City hero.
The Studio City Event Center is yet another facility worth mentioning. It would feature 5,000 seats and would be perfectly suitable for different kinds of events, such as live concerts, theatrical performances, sports offerings, etc.
Studio City Macau will also be home to Studio 8, the first and only fully operational broadcast and television recording studio in the administrative region.
To sum up, Melco Crown has promised to provide visitors of its latest integrated casino resort with “an incredibly diverse and cosmopolitan collection of contemporary leisure and lifestyle experiences.”
Award-winning Goddard Group has been hired to take care of the design of this cinematically-themed casino and entertainment complex.
MGM National Harbor (Scheduled Opening: 2016)
Nevada-based gambling and hospitality company MGM Resorts International is currently building Maryland’s sixth casino. The property will be located along the Potomac River in Prince George’s County and is projected to open doors in 2016. MGM National Harbor was estimated to cost about $1.3 billion to its developers.
The hotel and casino resort would feature a 135,000-square-foot gambling floor with 3,600 slot machines and 140 table games. Apart from the casino, the complex would also offer a 300-room hotel tower, a 1,200-seat theater, retail space, a 35,000-square-foot meeting hall, suitable for different kinds of public events, a number of food and beverage options, etc.
The developer has promised that the construction of MGM National Harbor would create thousands of construction jobs for residents of the area. Furthermore, once the property opens doors, it would employ about 7,000 people directly or indirectly.
Architectural, engineering, and planning firm SmithGroupJJR has been named Architect of Record for the multi-billion-dollar resort. Generally speaking, a large portion of the complex would be placed on a stair-stepped pedestal, which would be concealing a 7-story parking garage. A sweeping roof would connect the pedestal structure and the 18-story glass-walled hotel tower.
Lisboa Palace (Scheduled Opening: 2017)
Lisboa Palace is to be yet another glitzy integrated resort that would adorn Macau’s Cotai Strip, known to be the Asian equivalent of the Las Vegas Strip. SJM Holdings, one of the six casino operators that have been authorized to operate gambling venues on the territory of the former Portuguese colony, is in charge of the $3.9-billion project. In fact, this would be the company’s first facility on the Cotai Strip.
SJM Holdings broke ground on the property on February 13, 2014. Earlier this year, the company announced that the first year of construction was a quite successful one and that the project was on schedule for the targeted 2017 opening.
Aiming to attract high rollers from the Asia-Pacific region, Lisboa Palace would feature a large casino floor with as many as 1,000 slot machines and 700 gaming tables.
Apart from the gaming space, the complex would also offer to visitors three five-star hotels, with the Karl Lagerfeld- and Versace-branded ones being among those. They would have 270 luxury rooms each. A number of food and beverage, entertainment, and retail options would also be among Lisboa Palace’s features.
International award-winning architectural firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo (WATG) was in charge of the multi-billion-dollar property’s design. Generally speaking, both Lisboa Palace’s exterior and interior would represent a mixture of European architectural elements with typically Chinese ones.
Wynn Everett (Scheduled Opening: 2017)
Gambling operator Wynn Resorts is in charge of the construction and the operation of the $1.7-billion complex, which is to be located on the Everett waterfront. In September 2014, the company was awarded the sole casino license for Eastern Massachusetts or Region A, as it is officially referred to as.
Originally, the Wynn Everett building was to sport a shape very similar to the one of the Encore hotel at Wynn Macau. Later on, Steve Wynn, owner of the prominent gambling operator, announced that the property would be identical to his company’s Las Vegas-based resorts. That is, it would boast the traditional curved shape.
The whole property would spread over a 3.3-million-square-foot site. The casino would offer to players thousands of slot machines and about 150 gaming tables. It would also feature a poker room.
Visitors of the luxury resort would also be given the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of dining options. Prominent chefs would prepare authentic Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes. A large retail space and a spa would also be among the features the 26-story complex would include.
Guest of Wynn Everett will have the chance to stay at the Deluxe Resort hotel, which would have more than 600 luxury rooms.
The developer has promised that the construction of the property would create at least 4,000 construction jobs. Work on the site is expected to commence anytime soon. Once the resort is completed, it would employ more than 15,000 people.
Earlier this year, California-based construction and engineering firm Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. was named executive architect for the multi-billion-dollar project. If things go as planned, Wynn Resorts would open doors sometime in 2017.
Resorts World Las Vegas (Scheduled Opening: Mid-2018)
Innovative design and attractions, a tailor-made guest experience, and authentic Chinese theme – this is what major hotel and casino operator the Genting Group promises that its latest project would feature. Resorts World Las Vegas will be a $4-billion integrated resort on the northern part of the Las Vegas Strip. It is to roll out in several phases and is expected to be completed and launched sometime in mid-2018.
The major development is the first one on the Las Vegas Strip for almost a decade now. Furthermore, it will be the first Chinese-themed resort in one of the world’s most popular gambling hubs. Once completed, the property would spread over a more than 20-million-square-foot site and will feature three luxury hotels with a total of 3,500 rooms, a number of dining options offering a wide variety of “authentic, regional Chinese cuisines”, a large retail space, and different entertainment opportunities. One of the most highly-anticipated features will be a panda habitat, with the animals being brought from China.
The developer has also promised an innovative 100,000-square-foot casino floor with 3,500 slot machines and various table games.
Nevada-based architectural and design firm Steelman Partners has been hired to make sure that the resort would look as authentically Chinese as possible. The choice of this particular company is not an arbitrary one, as it is behind other major casino projects such as Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila, Vladivostok Resort in Vladivostok, Russia, Galaxy Sky Casino in Macau, Gold Coast Integrated Resort in Australia, etc.
Genting broke ground on Resorts World Las Vegas on May 5, 2015. The construction of the property is expected to create more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. Once the integrated resort is completed, it would sustain more than 13,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The expensive project was welcomed by both Las Vegas officials and residents, as it is to attract players from all parts of the world and thus, contribute to the city’s revival as one of the most popular gambling destinations.
Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort (Scheduled Opening: 2018)
Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort is one of the three casino projects that have been given the green light by the Queensland government. The Aquis Group, with Hong Kong businessman Tony Fung as its Chairman, is in charge of the major project, which would cost more than A$8 billion.
This ambitious project would create more than 6,500 full-time construction jobs by 2017, when phase one is expected to be completed and launched. Furthermore, the 36-million-square-foot property is expected to employ 53,000 people at peak operations in 2030.
Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort will be located about 13 km north of the city of Cairns and 6 km north of the Cairns International Airport.
Generally speaking, the large integrated resorts is separated into three precincts. The resort precinct would spread over 7.9 million square feet and would feature 8 different hotels with as much as 7,500 rooms, food and beverage and retail options, a convention and exhibition center, various entertainment facilities, such as casinos, theaters, a large aquarium, etc.
The 16.7-million-square-foot sports and recreation precinct would include an 18-hole golf course, a tennis court, an equestrian center, etc.
Last but not least, the environment conservation and management precinct would spread over 12.1 million square feet and would be intended to ensure the protection of the existing natural vegetation around the resort.
Once completed, Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort is expected to annually welcome up to 1.5 million visitors.
Aedas, known to be among the five largest international architectural firms, was hired to prepare the concept architecture and landscape for the expensive project.
