Slot Machine Location
Books have been set forth on this matter, and the controversy and discourse about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still ongoing – more than sixty years after one armed bandits were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the better slot machines were located just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that people walking by would be able to see jackpot winners and be baited to come into the casino and play. Our frame of mind is that this is no longer true.
Many of the major casinos these days are monstrous complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close to any of the doors.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Interestingly 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.