Slot Machine Location
Books have been written on this issue, and the disquiet and face-offs about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still ongoing – 60 years after slots were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the very best slots were positioned just inside the main entry of the casino; so that potential gamblers going by would see jackpot winners … be titillated to come inside and play. Our thought is that this is no longer true.
Practically all of the major casinos today are magnificent complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games close to any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Importantly 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 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.