Archive for June 20th, 2026

Slot Machine positioning

Volumes have been set forth on this item, and the bickering and arguments about where the "hot" one armed bandits are installed in a casino are still taking place – over 60 yrs after slot games were first installed in gambling houses.

The classic rule is that the more favourable slot games were located just inside the door of the casino; so that casino fanatics going by would see jackpot winners … be enticed to come into the casino and play. Our leaning is that this is definitely no longer the case.

The majority of the major casinos these days are colossal complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot machines near any entrances.

An additional classic rule is that loose slots are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Nonetheless, 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 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 games.