Volumes have been stated on this issue, and the disquiet and discourse about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in a casino are still intense – more than 60 yrs after slot machines were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the very best one armed bandits were installed just inside the door of the casino; so that people going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be smitten to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our persuasion is that this is no longer true.
Practically all of the major casinos today are colossal complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machine games close-by any doors.
Another classic rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Nonetheless, 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 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slots.