07.22
Slot Machine positioning
Books have been set forth on this matter, and the disquiet and disagreement about where the "hot" slots are positioned in the casino are still ongoing – more than 60 years after slot machines were first installed in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the superior slot machines were put just inside the main entry of the casino; so that individuals passing by would see real jackpot winners … be tempted to come into the casino … play. Our theorem is that this is no longer true.
Nearly all of the major casinos presently are colossal complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any entrances or exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be roused 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 slot games 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slot games.