12.26
Slot Machine Location
Books have been said on this matter, and the conflict and feuds about where the "hot" video slots are positioned in a casino are still on-going – more than 60 yrs after the slots were first installed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the superior one armed bandits were placed just inside the main door of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be challenged to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our inclination is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Practically all of the major casinos nowadays are herculean complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games in close proximity to any of the doors.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.