Volumes have been said on this topic, and the bickering and squabbling about where the "hot" slot games are placed in a casino are still happening – over sixty years after slot machines were first placed in casinos.
The classic rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were located just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that persons passing by would see actual jackpot winners … be inspired to come into the casino … play. Our resolution is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Just about all of the big name casinos these days are mammoth complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any entrances.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Notably 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.