Books have been said on this subject, and the conflict and interchanges about where the "hot" slot machine games are positioned in a casino are still taking place – more than 60 years after slot machines were 1st placed in the casinos.
The classic rule is that the most favorable slots were put just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that everyone passing by would see actual jackpot winners … be keen enough to come into the casino … play. Our opinion is that this is no longer the case.
Most of the large casinos these days are mammoth complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines close-by any exits.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly however, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 the 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.