Books have been said on this topic, and the bickering and discord about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still taking place – over sixty yrs after one armed bandits were 1st added to the gaming floor in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the more favourable slot machines were positioned just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential players passing by would see real jackpot winners and be aroused to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our assurance is that this is no longer the case.
Just about all of the mega casinos presently are mammoth complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any doorways.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Importantly 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 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 slot games.