11.29
Slot Machine Location
Volumes have been written on this matter, and the controversy and discourse about where the "hot" slot machines are located in a casino are still passionate – more than sixty years after the slot machines were first placed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were installed just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that everyone walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be challenged to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our finding is that this is definitely no longer so.
The majority of the major casinos today are monstrous complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any entrances.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Notably 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 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.