There are a lot of urban legends that float around about casinos. This is one we’ve seen before, and pops up quite a lot:
Is it true that the slots by the entrance of the casinos are looser and pay out more?
Alfonso G.
It’s not. We get why people might think this is the case, but it just takes a moment to think through the logic of why it’s not.
The idea goes that if players see a lot of people winning by the doors, they’ll go inside and check it out. But think for a second about the casino you go to. How far do you have to go to get to the slots? Do you park in a parking garage? Do you have to walk through a hallway or series of hallways to meet the casino floor?
Sometimes this idea is attributed to Las Vegas casinos. But even there – how close are the slots to the sidewalk of casinos like Caesars Palace, MGM Grand or the Venetian? Most people make a deliberate choice to enter those casinos, and then maybe the slots will pull them in further.
But think about the other side of this – the slots closest to the doors would be the easiest to get players in front of – wouldn’t casinos want the better paying slots in the middle so players would get deeper into the casino floor and explore?
The logic, as with many of these, can be inverted for an idea that would be potentially equally valid. The reality is casinos are more likely to put branded or popular titles in the lines of sight players will see so they’ll get pulled in by popular brands or big jackpots or whatnot, moreso than have the games pay better.
The fact that payback isn’t divulged on slots inside physical casinos implies they’re setting them looser to make it look like a lot of winning is going on. But casinos have no control over the short term, only the long term, so that’s not even a guarantee. So they’re better off putting the popular machines in visible places to get people to sit down and throw $20 in.
