Volumes have been set forth on this subject, and the contention and ruckus about where the "hot" one armed bandits are installed in the casino are still there – more than 60 years after slot machines were 1st installed in gambling houses.
The classic rule is that the best slots were located just inside the main door of the casino; so that individuals going by would see jackpot winners … be stimulated to come into the casino … play. Our conviction is that this is no longer the case.
Most of the big name casinos these days are mammoth complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close to any entrances.
Yet another standard rule is that loose one armed bandits are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Interestingly 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 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 slots.