"If you think about it, the traditional layout makes no sense," Thomas told me. "People don't want to make bets when they feel trapped or overwhelmed or confused. That's not the mood you want." Instead, Wynn and Thomas worked on the assumption that people would be more likely to place big, risky bets when they felt safe and relaxed. Rather than catch gamblers in a spiderweb of slot machines, a situation that risked breeding anxiety, casinos should seduce them with a sense of magnificence. "People tend to take on the characteristics of a room," Thomas said. "They feel glamorous in a glamorous space and rich in a rich space. And who doesn't want to feel rich?"
Thomas set about creating a casino that contravened all the rules of casino design. Whereas Friedman criticized the "open barn" plan, which he defined as any space with an expansive layout and high ceilings, Thomas created soaring ceilings swathed in silk fabric and insisted on clear sight lines for easy navigation. Friedman called for "gambling equipment immediately inside casino entrances," with the most popular slot machines by the front door.
