02.16
Slot Machine positioning
Books have been written on this topic, and the conflict and discussion about where the "hot" slot machine games are installed in a casino are still happening – 60 years after slot machines were first placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were placed just inside the door of the casino; so that casino fanatics passing by would see actual jackpot winners … be tempted to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our philosophy is that this is not so anymore.
The majority of the major casinos today are mammoth complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot games near to any doorways.
An additional classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Notably 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.