Slot Machine positioning
Books have been set forth on this subject, and the bickering and discord about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still there – over 60 years after slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The traditional rule is that the superior slot machines were placed just inside the door of the casino; so that people going by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be inspired to come into the casino and play. Our verdict is that this is not so anymore.
Most of the major casinos presently are mammoth complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any entrances.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more persons 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 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 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.