Volumes have been written on this issue, and the controversy and discord about where the "hot" slots are placed in a casino are still passionate – sixty yrs after slot machines were first installed in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the best one armed bandits were positioned just inside the entry of the casino; so that everyone going by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be convinced to come into the casino and play. Our finding is that this is definitely no longer true.
Most of the large casinos presently are behemothic complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot games near any entrances.
An additional classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.