Books have been stated on this topic, and the debates and interchanges about where the "hot" video slots are installed in the casino are still passionate – over 60 years after slot machine games were first placed in gambling houses.
The classic rule is that the very best one armed bandits were located just inside the entrance of the casino; so that people going by would see real jackpot winners … be attracted to come into the casino and play. Our assessment is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Just about all of the major casinos presently are enormous complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any entrances or exits.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Notably 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 slot games 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.