Slot Machine positioning
Posted in Slots on 05/03/2026 07:25 pm by Darnell
Volumes have been written on this topic, and the controversy and ruckus about where the "hot" one armed bandits are located in a casino are still bubbling – more than 60 years after the slot machines were first placed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot games were put just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that potential gamblers passing by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be impressed enough to come inside … play. Our persuasion is that this is no longer true.
Almost all of the big name casinos today are humongous complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines near to any of the doors.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slots are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be inspired 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.