07.18
Slot Machine Location
Books have been stated on this subject, and the disquiet and arguments about where the "hot" slots are placed in the casino are still passionate – 60 yrs after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the better slot machines were installed just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential gamblers walking by would see actual jackpot winners … be drawn to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our thought is that this is no longer the case.
The great majority of the large casinos today are humongous complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines in close proximity to any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose slots are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Interestingly though, 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 one armed bandits 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 very 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.