Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been written on this topic, and the conflict and face-offs about where the "hot" slots are located in a casino are still ongoing – 60 years after one armed bandits were 1st installed in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the very best slot machines were put just inside the main entry of the casino; so that casino fanatics going by would see real jackpot winners and be titillated to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our perspective is that this is not so anymore.
Most of the mega casinos today are grand complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any of the doors.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Interestingly 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.