Volumes have been written on this subject, and the controversy and feuds about where the "hot" slots are installed in a casino are still taking place – over sixty yrs after slot machine games were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were installed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that persons going by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be drawn to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our feeling is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Almost all of the big name casinos nowadays are humongous complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slots close-by any of the doors.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot games are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Notably 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.