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Casinos looking for the 'wow' factor

"But the spontaneous, unscripted feel of the casino is actually a thoroughly planned creation of casino designers -- part art, part science.

"'You want a combination of arousal plus pleasure, which equals excitement,' explained Anthony Lucas, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has studied the relationship between environmental psychology and casino design. `That's the central emotion. Excitement.'

"Three Miami-Dade County companies are gearing up to build slot-machine casinos like those in Broward County. Flagler Dog Track, Calder Race Course and Miami Jai-Alai won voter approval in January to expand into slots -- a bet that the often struggling gambling establishments hope will pay off.

"Today's casino designers say a casino has to be comfortable but not boring. Exciting but not maddening. Pleasurable -- illicit-feeling, even -- yet safe.

"...Lucas says research has shown that some of the most successful casinos combine high-end glitz with natural elements like waterfalls and greenery -- the feng shui of feeling like a winner.

"...Gone are most of the dark, low-ceiling, cloistered casinos of old, dubbed by at least one architect as the 'nocturnal sensory deprivation model.'

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"...Casino designers call it a 'wow feature,' and it works -- sometimes literally.

"...Casinos have to feel exciting at all hours and cater to changing crowds. Older patrons generally come during the day, while nighttime customers are often younger..."

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