02.26
Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been set forth on this subject, and the controversy and face-offs about where the "hot" slot machine games are placed in the casino are still ongoing – over sixty yrs after slot games were first placed in casinos.
The standard rule is that the best one armed bandits were placed just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that potential players going by would be able to see jackpot winners … be influenced to come into the casino and play. Our feeling is that this is definitely no longer true.
Nearly all of the mega casinos nowadays are colossal complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any entrances or exits.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot games are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Nonetheless, 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 very 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 slots.