Slot Machine positioning
Books have been said on this matter, and the disquiet and discourse about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still taking place – more than sixty yrs after one armed bandits were 1st added to the gaming floor in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the superior slot games were put just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that potential players walking by would be able to see jackpot winners and be inspired to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our disposition is that this is definitely no longer so.
Just about all of the major casinos today are herculean complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any entrances or exits.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Notably 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slot games.