Volumes have been set forth on this subject, and the disquiet and discord about where the "hot" video slots are placed in a casino are still there – over 60 yrs after slots were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the best one armed bandits were installed just inside the entrance of the casino; so that everyone walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be enthralled to come inside … play. Our observation is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the big name casinos today are super-colossal complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machines close to any exits.
Another standard rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 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 slots.