Slot Machine positioning

Books have been said on this subject, and the controversy and feuds about where the "hot" slot machine games are located in a casino are still intense – more than sixty years after the slot machines were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.

The traditional rule is that the most favorable slot machines were put just inside the door of the casino; so that persons going by would see jackpot winners and be baited to come inside and play. Our determination is that this is no longer true.

Almost all of the large casinos today are oversized complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot machine games in close proximity to any entrances or exits.

Another standard rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly 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!

Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.