Books have been set forth on this subject, and the debates and squabbling about where the "hot" one armed bandits are placed in the casino are still intense – sixty years after the slot machines were 1st placed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were located just inside the entry of the casino; so that individuals going by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be convinced to come into the casino and play. Our opinion is that this is no longer the case.
Almost all of the mega casinos presently are magnificent complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any exits.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot machine games are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Notably though, we find that this also isn’t 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 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 slots.