09.20
Slot Machine Location
Volumes have been set forth on this issue, and the bickering and face-offs about where the "hot" slot games are located in the casino are still on-going – 60 years after slot machines were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were positioned just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that persons going by would see jackpot winners and be influenced to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our sentiment is that this is definitely no longer so.
The great majority of the big name casinos these days are magnificent complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games near to any doorways.
Yet another classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is not 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 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 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 machine games.