Slot Machine Location
Volumes have been said on this topic, and the disquiet and disagreement about where the "hot" slot machines are placed in the casino are still raging – more than sixty years after one armed bandits were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the most favorable slot machine games were put just inside the door of the casino; so that everyone going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be convinced to come into the casino and play. Our sneaking suspicion is that this is not so anymore.
Many of the major casinos today are grand complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slots near to any exits.
An additional traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be influenced 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 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 perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.