Volumes have been written on this issue, and the disquiet and discord about where the "hot" slots are placed in a casino are still rampant – over sixty yrs after one armed bandits were first placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable slot machines were placed just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that everyone going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be influenced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our opinion is that this is no longer true.
Almost all of the large casinos presently are magnificent complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any exits.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machine games are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly though, 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slot games.