Slot Machine Location
Volumes have been said on this item, and the contention and disharmony about where the "hot" slot machine games are located in a casino are still rampant – 60 yrs after slot machine games were first installed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the superior one armed bandits were put just inside the main door of the casino; so that people going by would see jackpot winners and be intrigued enough to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our conclusion is that this is no longer the case.
Just about all of the large casinos today are magnificent complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any entrances or exits.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Interestingly 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 one armed bandits 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.