Volumes have been stated on this topic, and the contention and squabbling about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in the casino are still taking place – 60 yrs after the slots were 1st placed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the more favourable one armed bandits were installed just inside the main door of the casino; so that individuals going by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be tempted to come inside and play. Our perspective is that this is definitely no longer so.
The majority of the major casinos today are colossal complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines near to any doors.
An additional classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 games.