03.28
Slot Machine Location
Books have been said on this subject, and the disquiet and face-offs about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still intense – 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first installed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the best slots were installed just inside the entry of the casino; so that potential players passing by would see real jackpot winners and be titillated to come inside and play. Our inference is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Most of the mega casinos these days are behemothic complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any doorways.
Yet another classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Importantly however, 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 slot games 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.