03.22
Slot Machine Location
Books have been written on this matter, and the contention and discord about where the "hot" slot machine games are positioned in a casino are still ongoing – over sixty years after slots were first placed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the better slot machine games were put just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that everyone passing by would be able to see jackpot winners and be baited to come inside and play. Our theory is that this is not so anymore.
Many of the major casinos these days are herculean complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any entrances or exits.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Notably however, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 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 slots.