11.10
Slot Machine Location
Books have been written on this subject, and the debates and discord about where the "hot" video slots are positioned in a casino are still intense – more than sixty yrs after one armed bandits were first placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the superior slots were put just inside the entry of the casino; so that fun seekers passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be inspired to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our standpoint is that this is definitely no longer true.
Just about all of the major casinos today are massive complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot machines near to any entrances.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot games are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Importantly however, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.