Slot Machine Location
Volumes have been written on this item, and the contention and interchanges about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in the casino are still happening – 60 yrs after the slots were first installed in casinos.
The classic rule is that the better slot machines were placed just inside the main door of the casino; so that potential players walking by would see jackpot winners … be infatuated enough to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our opinion is that this is no longer true.
Almost all of the major casinos these days are colossal complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machine games close-by any doors.
An additional traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be inspired 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.