Books have been stated on this subject, and the debates and interchanges about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in a casino are still happening – more than sixty yrs after slot games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the better slot machine games were placed just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that fun seekers walking by would be able to see jackpot winners … be tempted to come into the casino and play. Our leaning is that this is definitely no longer the case.
The majority of the major casinos today are enormous complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slots close to any entrances or exits.
Another standard rule is that loose one armed bandits are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is not 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.