02.05
Slot Machine positioning
Books have been written on this subject, and the debates and discord about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in a casino are still there – more than 60 yrs after slots were 1st placed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the most favorable slot machines were installed just inside the main door of the casino; so that potential players going by would be able to see jackpot winners and be impressed enough to come inside and play. Our position is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Practically all of the large casinos nowadays are herculean complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games close to any doors.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Notably 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 slot machine games 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.