Volumes have been written on this subject, and the debates and arguments about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in the casino are still ongoing – over 60 years after slot machine games were first installed in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were put just inside the main door of the casino; so that persons walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be infatuated enough to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our leaning is that this is definitely no longer so.
Almost all of the big name casinos presently are gigantic complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any entrances or exits.
Yet another classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Importantly 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 the slots 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 games.