When you look at a huge casino resort, it is easy to forget just how much goes into putting one together. Take Wynn Al Marjan Island, for example. Wynn Resorts is investing around $5.1 billion in what is set to become the UAE’s first casino resort, opening in 2027 on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. The project is planned to have 1,530 rooms and around 225,000 square feet of gaming space. And that is before you start thinking about the restaurants, entertainment areas, pools and all the other bits that come with a modern resort.
Then there is the huge range of all the best and latest slots games on the planet that have to be accommodated in that gaming space.
Building a Casino Is a Big Job
One reason casinos cost so much is simply their size. Basically, the heart of every casino, the gaming floor, is just one huge open space surrounded by walls and covered by a ceiling, and here’s the bit that might seem counter-intuitive to anyone not in the building trade, that costs more. Traditional buildings tend to have plenty of supporting walls, columns and partitions, but not casinos, which creates a pretty serious construction challenge.
To create those large open areas without filling the room with supports means more complicated structural designs and more expensive materials.
Then there is soundproofing. A casino is a noisy place, with machines, conversations, music and all the general background noise you would expect from a busy resort. Keeping different areas from interfering with each other takes careful planning and specialist materials.
Safety Costs Money Too
Casinos are also public buildings, and usually very busy ones. That means construction has to take account of fire safety, emergency exits, accessibility, ventilation, electrical systems and plenty of other regulations.
There can be huge numbers of people moving through the same building, sometimes at all hours. Getting those systems right is not something developers can cut corners on.
There is also the technology behind the casino itself. Surveillance systems, security equipment, networking, payment systems and gaming technology all have to be installed and integrated into the building.
Then Come the Fittings
And this is where the price can really start climbing.
A major gaming site like a casino resort is not just an ordinary office block with some slot machines inside. To pull in the punters, and keep them, means designer interiors, large hotel rooms, impressive lighting, quality restaurants and plenty of spaces where they can eat, drink and relax.
The gaming floor itself needs thousands of individual pieces of equipment, from gaming machines and tables to screens, seating, lighting and security systems.
It Is More Than a Casino
This is probably the biggest thing to remember. A modern casino resort is really several businesses packed into one enormous development.
There can be a hotel, casino, restaurants, bars, shops, entertainment venues, swimming pools and conference facilities all operating under the same roof. Each one needs its own infrastructure and staff areas.
So when you see a $5.1 billion price tag attached to Wynn Al Marjan Island, it is not simply the cost of building a giant room full of casino games. It is the cost of creating an entire resort from the ground up, with the construction, technology, luxury fittings and public facilities to match.
