Slot Machine positioning

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Books have been stated on this issue, and the contention and discussion about where the "hot" slot machines are located in a casino are still intense – more than 60 years after slot machines were first placed in the casinos.

The quintessential rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were put just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that folks passing by would see real jackpot winners and be impressed enough to come inside and play. Our assurance is that this is no longer the case.

Practically all of the large casinos today are massive complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any doors.

An additional 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 encouraged 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 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 machine games.