11.20
Slot Machine positioning
Books have been said on this topic, and the controversy and discord about where the "hot" slot machine games are placed in a casino are still happening – over 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the superior slot games were placed just inside the door of the casino; so that potential players walking by would see real jackpot winners … be influenced to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our frame of mind is that this is not so anymore.
Practically all of the large casinos today are monstrous complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games close-by any exits.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot machines are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Nonetheless, 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 the slot machines 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.