Slot Machine positioning
Volumes have been stated on this issue, and the contention and interchanges about where the "hot" one armed bandits are installed in a casino are still passionate – over 60 years after the slot machines were first placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable slots were installed just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that fun seekers going by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be titillated to come inside … play. Our viewpoint is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Most of the major casinos these days 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’ one armed bandits close to any doorways.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Notably however, 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 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slots.