Books have been said on this item, and the conflict and discussion about where the "hot" slot machines are placed in a casino are still there – more than 60 yrs after slots were first added to the gaming floor in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable slot machine games were put just inside the main entry of the casino; so that casino fanatics going by would see jackpot winners … be stirred to come inside and play. Our determination is that this is definitely no longer true.
Almost all of the mega casinos today are colossal complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any entrances or exits.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Notably however, 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 one armed bandits 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.