Volumes have been said on this item, and the debates and ruckus about where the "hot" one armed bandits are installed in a casino are still there – more than 60 yrs after the slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in gambling houses.
The classic rule is that the more favourable slot games were placed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that people walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be convinced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our attitude is that this is definitely no longer so.
Nearly all of the big name casinos presently are gigantic complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games near to any exits.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Interestingly 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 the slot machines 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.
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