The new gaming room at the Entrance Hotel.
The new Halo overhead signage.
Sign of the times As a gaming signage specialist for over 25 years, Precision Signs has experienced many changes in gaming room design, with many of these driven by emerging technology as well as evolving EGMs and interior design styles. Covid also drove its share of changes to gaming room signage, according to Casey Johnson, GM of Precision Signs. “Throughout Covid, with the varying range of regulation and social distancing measures placed on venues, we refined and focused our product offerings to more room-based displays than bank-specific signage. “For example, we found room entry, bulkhead and wall-mounted displays created an amazing atmosphere and added theatre to the room whilst still allowing flexibility in bank configurations.” With the stabilisation of restrictions, Johnson says, Precision Signs is finding new
Evolving décor
generators such as their food and
Stylistic design is also evolving, according
beverage areas.”
to Kelly. The typical Asian-inspired red colouring and lantern look is on the out,
Personal service
with people increasingly extending their
The gaming room service model has also
own branding and design style to the
been shaken up post-Covid. “You’ll find
gaming room.
more pub employees in the gaming room
“Aside from pubs in predominantly
now,” Kelly says.
Asian demos, gaming patrons come
Drink-to-machine service, he says, is
from many different ethnicities and
replacing the pre-Covid self-service areas
demographics, so these days, the look
and social spaces where gamers could
and style of the gaming room will depend
help themselves to coffee and biscuits.
more on where a pub is located,” he says. Looking beyond gaming, the scope of gaming venues’ renovations is expanding outward into other areas, according to Kelly. “Gaming venues have already improved
Increasingly, he says, employees
opportunities to combine room and overbank signage to create even more atmosphere. Overbank signage is an important element when it comes to directing clientele to their favourite game or link, he says, whilst room display adds theatre and excitement to the room. “They really do complement each other and when done well, especially with linked content, deliver fantastic results. “We have recently delivered a variety of projects in this theme and gained positive feedback from some of the industry’s leading pub and club groups,” he says. The company’s latest offering in digital
provide the snacks and conversation in
overhead signage – the Halo – offers a
the gaming area.
seamless 360 display, LED trim lighting, with
“These days operators are not providing any areas for non-gaming activities in the
content-driven react controller. “We offer a wide range of content on the
gaming room. Instead, there’s lots more
Halo, including the latest manufacturers games
their gaming rooms. Now they are
space and interaction with employees,
and custom video sequences. It’s a fantastic
focusing on other section and revenue
more like the casino model.”
addition to any gaming room,” Johnson says.
June 2022 | 21
