Volumes have been written on this issue, and the debates and face-offs about where the "hot" video slots are located in the casino are still taking place – over 60 years after slot machines were first placed in the casinos.
The traditional rule is that the better slot machines were located just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that folks going by would see real jackpot winners and be convinced to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our theorem is that this is definitely no longer true.
Nearly all of the big name casinos these days are oversized complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machines in close proximity to any doors.
Another classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. However, 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 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 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 machines.
