Books have been set forth on this subject, and the disquiet and discord about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still intense – more than 60 yrs after the slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in gambling houses.
The classic rule is that the better slot machine games were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that people going by would be able to see jackpot winners and be impressed enough to come inside … play. Our conviction is that this is not so anymore.
Most of the large casinos today are magnificent complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any entrances.
Another standard rule is that loose slot games are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Notably though, we find that this also isn’t 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 slot games 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.
