06.21
Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been written on this matter, and the conflict and feuds about where the "hot" slot machine games are located in the casino are still there – 60 yrs after slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the best slot machine games were positioned just inside the main door of the casino; so that people walking by would see actual jackpot winners … be challenged to come inside and play. Our finding is that this is no longer the case.
Almost all of the mega casinos presently are oversized complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines close to any of the doors.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Nonetheless, 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 slot games 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.