07.10
Slot Machine positioning
Books have been stated on this subject, and the conflict and arguments about where the "hot" video slots are positioned in the casino are still ongoing – over sixty years after slot machines were first placed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the very best one armed bandits were positioned just inside the door of the casino; so that potential players passing by would see actual jackpot winners … be possessed to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our conclusion is that this is no longer true.
Nearly all of the mega casinos today are grand complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines near any exits.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machines are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is not 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 slots 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.