09.05
Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been stated on this subject, and the debates and disharmony about where the "hot" slots are positioned in the casino are still intense – more than 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first installed in casinos.
The classic rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were put just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential gamblers passing by would be able to see jackpot winners and be impressed enough to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our viewpoint is that this is no longer true.
Almost all of the mega casinos presently are mammoth complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games close-by any doorways.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be influenced 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 slot machines 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 perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.