The Best Casino Contractors in the U.S.

Last updated on May 21st, 2024 at 07:42 am

Casinos dominate the reputation and nightlife of numerous cities and towns in the United States. These establishments allow people to participate in various forms of gambling, which generates high revenues. According to online statistics portal Statista, global casinos had a projected gross gaming yield of around $115 billion in 2016, and are forecasted to reach $130 billion in 2019.

Today, many large-scale casinos are known for providing high-level hospitality. Most of these establishments are designed as complete entertainment experiences, offering a wide range of gaming and non-gaming uses. These typically include restaurants and snack bars, retail shops, nightclubs, and even spas. Often, shopping centers, food places, and nightlife facilities are found near the gaming area. As people are always on the lookout for unique experiences, casinos are constantly adapting to meet and accommodate these evolving needs.

To ensure that a casino offers unique opportunities and appeals to growing audiences, it is best to get the help of the finest casino contractors in the country. Below is a list of the top contractors in the U.S. based on the services they offer, their accreditation and certifications, as well as the recognition they have received in the form of awards and press.

15) Pepper Construction

643 N Orleans St., Chicago, IL 60654

Stanley F. Pepper established general contracting firm Pepper Construction in 1927 with the goal of building functional, enduring structures and cultivating lasting relationships. Today, the firm provides clients across the nation with comprehensive design, construction, and management services from its offices in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The team’s extensive portfolio features numerous hospitality, entertainment, civic and cultural, commercial, corporate, healthcare, education, retail, residential, manufacturing, commercial, and industrial structures and facilities.

American gaming corporation Caesars Entertainment selected Pepper to construct a new casino in Hammond, Indiana, which was, at that point, the largest floating facility in the United States. To ensure that the building could float, the firm prepared six barges with the components of the casino’s structural steel frame before transporting it to the Hammond Marina. There, it formed the foundation for the 350,000-square-foot casino and convention center. The casino features slots, games, several restaurants and bars, and the convention center, a main stage and banquet facilities with capacity for thousands of guests. The project also included minor renovations to the parking lot and other facilities.

14) W.E. O’Neil Construction Company

1245 W Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607

W.E. O’Neil Construction Company has been carrying out reputable small to midsize tenant improvements, structural and architectural concrete work, green building, and technology-assisted construction projects for more than 90 years. The firm operates under a variety of project delivery methods, particularly construction management, general contracting, and design-build, and serves clients throughout Chicago, Tucson, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Ontario, San Diego, Denver, and Nashville.

Every O’Neil project is approached with an integrated delivery mindset, in which services are performed in a team-oriented atmosphere highlighting open communication. As such, the outcomes are perfect realizations of common goals. One such outcome is the Harrah’s Casino and Resort in San Diego, California, which involved the construction of a four-story, 200-room hotel as well as a 155,000-square-foot gaming facility with restaurants.

13) PWI Construction

3903 W Martin Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89118

PWI Construction has specialized in luxury retail, hospitality, restaurant, and specialty construction across North America since 1985. The national general contracting and management firm has completed more than 1,800 projects throughout Las Vegas, Phoenix, Austin, and Miami, and values its long-lasting relationships with clients, achieved through a company culture of listening and being flexible to clients’ needs. The firm’s vast portfolio of hospitality, restaurant, and retail projects features some of the most distinguished names in the region. This includes the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino, which is a renovation of 4,000 guest room suites, 20 retail stores, 25 restaurants, corporate offices, a poker room, and a pool deck.

12) Hensel Phelps

420 Sixth Ave., Greeley, CO 80631

For over 80 years, Hensel Phelps has employed a process that combines industry knowledge, comprehensive expertise, ingenuity, and adaptability to deliver excellent building projects to clients. Whether it is a medical facility in Florida, an office park in Denver, or an airport terminal in San Francisco, the firm brings to the table polished and reliable development, construction, and maintenance services.

The firm is regularly recognized for its sustainable and remarkable building projects. For instance, Hensel Phelps earned two awards for its construction of the Ameristar Casino Black Hawk Hotel, Resort & Spa: the ACE Award for Meeting the Challenge of a Difficult Job from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) in Colorado, and the Excellence in Construction Award for Mega Projects: More than $100 Million from the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The luxurious 458,000-square-foot resort hotel consists of a nine-story “podium” containing the hotel lobby, a conference and events center, a spa, and back-of-house areas, as well as a 25-story tower topped by a rooftop indoor-outdoor pool deck. The building is the highest elevation high-rise tower constructed in the continental United States.

11) dck worldwide

Six PPG Pl. Suite #700, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

For more than 90 years, major corporations, developers, and governments have trusted dck worldwide’s creative solutions to bring their building plans to life. The firm offers a total building solutions package—from development to financing, as well as pre-construction and construction to management. Headquartered in Pittsburgh with regional offices in Honolulu, Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, and Bataan, Philippines, the firm has completed projects in 125 countries across the globe.

The firm’s reputation for quality workmanship, safety, and construction excellence is unmistakable; it manages to minimize risks, yield predictably impressive results, and ensure the success of every project. One of the firm’s most significant projects is the expansion of the Atlantis Resort & Casino in the Bahamas. Sun International Development hired dck worldwide to construct the East and West Towers and a bridge linking the two (and housing a 5,000-square-foot Imperial Suite). As the prime contractor, the firm’s project team was responsible for the installation of the plaster, gypsum, and metal stud interior, as well as the exterior insulation and finish system and ornamental elements.

10) Level 10 Construction

1050 Enterprise Way Suite #250, Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Despite being a young company, Level 10 Construction has built a reputation for its flexibility and adaptability, as well as exceeding industry norms in terms of project performance, client retention, and team member satisfaction. The firm primarily offers preconstruction, lean construction, design-build, design assist/design-build MEPF (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection), building information modeling, self-perform work, and sustainability services in California. Since 2011, the firm has performed construction work in a variety of industry markets ranging from advanced technology and healthcare to housing and gaming.

One project that clearly embodied the firm’s commitment to delivering outstanding results is the renovation of the Pala Casino. This project encompassed the construction of a pool and an outdoor-amenities area with a restaurant and a bar; room renovations and balcony additions; a new 15,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed casino area, as well as an expanded main casino floor; and a new restaurant and Infinity bar. The renovation project won the Western Wall and Ceiling Contractors Association’s (WWCCA) 2018 Walter F. Pruter Project of the Year Awards for Exterior Renovation and Themework.

9) Clayco

35 E Wacker Dr. Suite #1300, Chicago, IL 60601

In over three and a half decades, Clayco has raised the standards for collaborative design, quality and craftsmanship, project management, cost containment, and jobsite safety in the construction industry. With more than 2.6 billion dollars in revenue for 2018 and more than 2,000 employees across the country, the company is one of the nation’s largest privately-owned real estate, architecture, engineering, design-build, and construction firms. Clayco specializes in providing efficient turnkey, full-service building solutions in North America for commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential building projects. The firm has regularly been recognized by Engineering News-Record as a top design-builder and contractor.

The integrated team of Clayco provides diverse yet focused expertise across a multitude of industries and design-build disciplines. Clayco has executed more than 350 iconic and complex projects across the country, including 190,000,000 square feet of new construction and 70,000,000 square feet of renovation. One of the firm’s remarkable builds is Casino Queen, a 236,000-square-foot gaming facility in East St. Louis. The two-level, structural steel building features 14-foot clear ceiling heights, a 38,000-square-foot gaming floor, dining facilities, a coffee bar, and a stage bar, all moored along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River.

8) LeChase Construction

205 Indigo Creek Drive, Rochester NY 14626

Now in its 75th year of operation, LeChase Construction provides exceptional general construction and construction management services in several industries and on projects of varying scopes and sizes—from state-of-the-art hospitals and college laboratories to manufacturing facilities, performing arts centers, and sports facilities. In addition to serving New York State and North Carolina, LeChase provides unique building solutions to clients no matter where they are located.

With its team of more than 750 skilled professionals, the firm has earned a reputation for quality, safety, and integrity. One project that clearly highlighted such qualities was the transformation of American Locomotive Company factories into an entertainment destination, Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor. The 160,000-square-foot gaming venue features a 50,000-square-foot casino floor with more than 1,100 slot machines, 66 gaming tables, and a 15-table poker room. The casino also houses a high-end steakhouse, a marketplace with lite-fare restaurants, an entertainment lounge, a day spa, and a 600-person banquet facility. LeChase also built a six-story hotel and a four-tier precast parking structure.

7) PCL Construction

2000 S Colorado Blvd. Suite #2-500, Denver, CO 80222

PCL Construction is a group of independent construction companies that has carried out work across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Australia for more than a century. The organization mainly operates in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets, earning top industry rankings for its outstanding business performance and human resource practices. Moreover, the firm has been recognized and awarded for its work quality, innovation in construction services, safety, and community spirit.

One of PCL’s most iconic projects is the Turtle Creek Casino Hotel, which is a seven-story, 137-room hotel with an attached 70,000-square-foot gaming room, with restaurants, retail shops, and a buffet. Some notable features of the project include an interior, two-level waterfall, contemporary finishes, an illuminated glass and steel entrance canopy, cultural exhibits, fine dining, and a nightclub. The firm also upgraded the mechanical system to achieve optimum interior air quality. The entertainment and hotel complex was recognized by the G2E Casino Design Awards as the Best Architectural Design of a Casino Resort Under $200 Million.

6) PARIC Corporation

77 Westport Plz. Suite #250, Saint Louis, MO 63146

Founded in 1979, PARIC Corporation offers expertise in innovative general contracting, construction management, and design-build across Missouri and Ohio. Over the years, the firm has acquired knowledge and experience in the commercial, multi-family, senior living, healthcare, historic renovation, hospitality, and academic market segments, having managed construction projects ranging from banks, hotels, and restaurants to universities, warehouses, and trade centers.

PARIC brings together creative design-build solutions and meticulous construction management in order to provide unique building and service experiences. A notable outcome of this foolproof process is the River City Casino in South St. Louis County. The first phase of the project involved the construction of a 270,000-square-foot building that houses a 90,000-square-foot casino, several restaurants, a multi-use community center, and athletic fields, as well as a new roadway connector from I-55 to the South Broadway corridor. The second phase involved building a 160,000-square-foot hotel and convention center with an adjacent 16,000-car garage. The firm completed the first phase in 16 months and delivered it $10 million under budget. The second phase was completed in 13 months, which was ahead of schedule.

5) Walsh Construction

929 W Adams St., Chicago, IL 60607

Founded in 1898, The Walsh Group is a fourth-generation family-owned organization, providing design-build, finance, operation, and outfitting services through its three companies: Walsh Construction, Archer Western, and Walsh Canada. It is the 13th largest contractor in the U.S., operating in 18 regional offices located across North America.

Walsh Construction was incorporated in 1949. Based in Chicago, the company is one of the city’s largest and most respected general contracting, construction management, and design-build firms. It works with union labor and union subcontractors in the building, civil, and transportation sectors. One of the firm’s most lauded projects is the Blue Chip Casino. Walsh built a 22-story hotel that touts 300 rooms and an attached 35,000-square-foot convention center, as well as a 20,000-square-foot concourse connecting the new hotel with the existing pavilion and parking garage.

4) Mortenson Company

700 Meadow Ln. N, Minneapolis, MN 55422

Mortenson is a renowned builder, developer, and energy and engineering services provider committed to helping organizations further their investments in the building, transportation, water, hydro and power, and industrial sectors. Founded in 1954, the firm offers its precise solutions across North America through its offices in Chicago, Denver, Fargo, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Canada.

The firm’s purpose and mission is to build structures and facilities for the “advancement of modern society.” This has driven the firm to come up with uniquely designed and constructed buildings and spaces, one of which is the 227,000-square-foot Tulalip Casino. The building exterior features Native American motifs, spotlighting, and a grand entrance porte-cochère. The casino area is extensively landscaped, housing a series of water features containing full-sized replicas of Orca whales jumping out of the water, a Native American spear fisherman statue standing on a 20-foot waterfall, and fountains with geysers, some as high as three stories.

3) McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

1341 N Rock Hill Rd., St. Louis, MO 63124

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest American construction company with offices all over the country. For over 150 years, the firm has delivered successful building projects for clients, industry partners, and communities in the commercial, hospitality, entertainment, healthcare, education, high performance/green, government, heavy civil, parking, science and technology, and water/wastewater sectors.

McCarthy is consistently a top choice for delivering the most complex commercial construction projects. The firm was hired to handle the construction of the Pinnacle Lumiere Casino and Four Seasons Luxury Hotel in downtown St. Louis. The McCarthy team built the 326,000-square-foot, 200-room Four Seasons Hotel, a casino, retail space, a six-level parking structure, a pedestrian bridge/tunnel, and restaurants, including SleeK Steakhouse, Burger Bar, The Kitchen Buffet and Bistro, and Asia. The firm also performed all structural concrete forming, reinforcing, post-tensioning, and placing with the exception of flatwork.

2) Turner Construction

375 Hudson St. 6th Flr., New York, NY 10014

Since 1902, Turner Construction has been a leading builder in diverse market segments in North America. It has earned numerous awards and recognition for undertaking large, complex projects in distinct market industries like cultural and entertainment, aviation and transportation, sports, data centers, pharmaceutical, and more. With a staff of 6,000 employees, the firm completes $12 billion worth of construction, working on an average of 1,500 projects per year.

Turner embraces a culture that emphasizes collaboration, reliable scheduling, and efficient and value-added delivery. This approach was clearly manifested in the firm’s renovation and expansion of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel. The project involved the construction of a new main entrance, an interior rotunda, casino gaming areas, restaurants, a food court, and retail space. Many features of the project were designed to emulate and highlight the natural surroundings of Western Carolina. The added rotunda includes eight 85-foot high architectural tree elements, a 149-foot long continuous video screen, and a centerpiece with an 85-foot high waterfall. The interior waterfall is a Water Scrim, which is a system engineered to project videos onto the flowing water.

1) Shawmut Design and Construction

10800 Biscayne Blvd. Suite #1000, Miami, FL 33161

National construction management firm Shawmut Design and Construction has accomplished numerous projects from coast to coast since its establishment in 1982. The firm’s proactive business model allows its project teams to better serve clients by focusing their specialized expertise within one of the following areas: academic, commercial, corporate interiors, cultural and historic preservation, healthcare and life sciences, spas and health clubs, sports venues, retail, restaurants, hotels, and gaming.

Shawmut’s vast industry knowledge and experience, as well as its skilled professionals, have greatly contributed to the firm’s success. These have allowed the team to work for prominent names and organizations all over the nation. For instance, the firm has worked on two projects for the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket; the team renovated the Stargazer Casino and the Great Cedar Casino. The 30,000-square-foot Stargazer Casino took eight months to complete. The Great Cedar Casino took eleven months to complete, as it required the addition of 270 slot machines, the construction of a streetscape facade as part of the concourse, and the installation of a water laser video-imaging special effects fountain.

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