05.23
Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been said on this matter, and the bickering and discord about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in the casino are still rampant – over sixty years after the slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the better slot machine games were placed just inside the entrance of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be captivated to come inside … play. Our inference is that this is definitely no longer true.
The great majority of the big name casinos today are humongous complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot games near to any of the doors.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons 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 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.