Books have been set forth on this topic, and the conflict and squabbling about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in a casino are still happening – 60 yrs after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the most favorable slots were located just inside the door of the casino; so that folks going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be captivated to come inside and play. Our belief is that this is no longer true.
Nearly all of the big name casinos nowadays are oversized complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games near any exits.
An additional standard rule is that loose one armed bandits are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be galvanized 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.