Volumes have been said on this topic, and the contention and discourse about where the "hot" one armed bandits are placed in a casino are still there – more than sixty yrs after the slot machines were 1st placed in gambling houses.
The quintessential rule is that the superior one armed bandits were put just inside the entry of the casino; so that potential players walking by would see actual jackpot winners and be attracted to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our position is that this is definitely no longer true.
The majority of the mega casinos these days are massive complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games close-by any entrances.
Another standard rule is that loose slot machines are located 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 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 slot machine games 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 slot games.