Archive for December 12th, 2023

Slot Machine positioning

Volumes have been said on this issue, and the conflict and squabbling about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in the casino are still ongoing – more than 60 yrs after slot games were 1st placed in casinos.

The quintessential rule is that the superior slot machines were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that casino fanatics going by would be able to see jackpot winners … be enthralled to come into the casino and play. Our observation is that this is definitely no longer so.

Most of the large casinos nowadays are monstrous complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot machine games in close proximity to any doors.

Another traditional rule is that loose slots are positioned 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 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!

These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.