09.26
Slot Machine positioning
Books have been set forth on this item, and the controversy and arguments about where the "hot" slot games are located in a casino are still on-going – more than sixty years after slot machines were 1st installed in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the better one armed bandits were put just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that persons going by would see actual jackpot winners and be aroused to come into the casino and play. Our feeling is that this is no longer the case.
The majority of the mega casinos today are enormous complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games close to any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose slots are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Importantly however, we find that this also isn’t a universal rule any more.
What casinos found over the years is that people walking down the busy aisles were frequently on the way to somewhere else. If they played the slot machines at all, they would simply put in their loose change because they happened to be walking by. Win or lose, they would very often not stop to keep playing. And the last thing a casino wants is for someone to win a jackpot by playing only a few coins and then not stay to put it all back in!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.