Designers rethinking what a Pennsylvania retail Sportsbook should be

Following the craze in gambling, the rehashing of sportsbooks as sports lounges has gained momentum in a contemporary casino atmosphere. The cutting edge lounge incorporates the fusion of tech, comfort, food, drink, community, entertainment, and even sports.

Online sports wagering urges opening of sports lounges

Online wagering has necessarily accelerated the rejuvenation of sportsbook spaces to sports lounges. Dwayne MacEwen, a busy Chicago-based principal, and a creative director for the architectural design firm DMAC has transpired the updated permanent retail sports lounge at the casino Rivers Pittsburg. The two new Rivers-branded lounges at the home of the NHL’s Flyers at the Wells Fargo Centre were disclosed. Rivers’ sportsbook is the official book for the Flyers but now the lounges promote online wagering via the BetRivers betting app.

Sports lounges are reshaping the casino

The temporary retail sportsbook space at SugarHouse Casino will be revamped as a permanent Rivers-branded sports lounge. This reformation includes the overall rebranding of SugarHouse to its new name, Rivers Philadelphia. MacEwen’s DMAC has recently involved in recreating six books as sports lounges. MacEwen stated: “ We’re reinventing what a sportsbook is. This is not your dad’s sportsbook by any means. Once you’re online, you can gamble anywhere. It’s decentralized, in your pocket. So this is much more social, a cultural shift. We are bringing the man cave to the casino and sports arena. It is much more interactive”.

Enlarged casino space

“By making the sports spaces more spacious, visible, inviting, interactive, and accessible, the newly amped-up lounge spaces are meant to influence the adjoining elements of the casino, to activate the casino”, quoted MacEwen.

The steering principle behind activation is simple enough, he asserted: “We’re making a space people want to be in. That changed the DNA of the casino floor. It blurred the line between the casino and the sportsbook. And that energized the casino”. He also stated that it’s already working in Pittsburg, with more cross-traffic to-and-from the gaming floor and the sportsbook. That should carry through in the new rivers Philadelphia retail book.

Transforming space into a lounge

The DMAC involve in a lot of hospitality work, shaping the design for sports lounges. But carrying out two pop-up versions helped in refining the firm’s aim. Instead of staring at the confined wall and liquid-filled barbacks, the design intention was to ensure the view allowed either the sports arena or the casino to be seen, not segregated. Other facilities take care of ergonomics, comfort, space to recharge phones, and plenty of horizontal landing pads for food and drink.

Seating elevates the lounge atmosphere

Seating may be the primary focus as players seek side-by-side seating arrangements. MacEwen’s firm had to ponder over 20 seating options and finally, ended up with a conventional design pattern that still needs some finetuning. The side-by-side seating arrangements enable players to spend time and money on acoustics so that the loud noise environment can be neglected.

Broadcasting elements

Sports broadcasting is the core part of any sportsbooks. Instead of walls covered with many smaller screens, the lounges DMAC has created include giant screens. The screen is suspended from a robust truss, rather than hung on a wall, to avoid hindrance. The screen is distinct enough to show multiple events, as well as tickers with news and scores. There is also a facility to host live chats which enhances the entertainment factors involved.