Books have been written on this issue, and the conflict and discussion about where the "hot" one armed bandits are placed in the casino are still bubbling – more than 60 years after one armed bandits were 1st added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the better slot games were located just inside the door of the casino; so that people walking by would see jackpot winners and be stimulated to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our attitude is that this is no longer the case.
The majority of the mega casinos today are gigantic complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close to any doors.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slot games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.