07.02
Slot Machine Location
Volumes have been written on this item, and the controversy and squabbling about where the "hot" slot games are placed in the casino are still bubbling – over 60 years after slot games were 1st placed in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the superior slots were positioned just inside the main door of the casino; so that folks walking by would be able to see jackpot winners … be impressed enough to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our leaning is that this is not so anymore.
The great majority of the big name casinos today are giant complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more persons 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 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.