Volumes have been written on this matter, and the conflict and discord about where the "hot" slot machine games are placed in the casino are still raging – over sixty yrs after slot machines were first placed in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that folks passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be mesmerized enough to come into the casino … play. Our view is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the major casinos nowadays are super-colossal complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machine games near any doorways.
An additional classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Notably however, 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.