Books have been stated on this issue, and the conflict and face-offs about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in the casino are still rampant – more than 60 yrs after slot games were 1st placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were positioned just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that people passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be intrigued enough to come into the casino … play. Our conviction is that this is definitely no longer so.
Almost all of the mega casinos presently are monstrous complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machine games near to any entrances or exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Importantly 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 the slot machines 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 very 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.