Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been written on this item, and the controversy and discussion about where the "hot" slot machines are placed in a casino are still there – over 60 yrs after one armed bandits were 1st installed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the best slots were located just inside the door of the casino; so that people going by would see actual jackpot winners … be intrigued enough to come into the casino and play. Our feeling is that this is no longer the case.
Most of the mega casinos today are magnificent complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close to any entrances.
Another standard rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Notably though, 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 the 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.