Books have been stated on this item, and the debates and face-offs about where the "hot" slots are placed in the casino are still taking place – over sixty years after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the very best slots were placed just inside the main door of the casino; so that individuals going by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be impressed enough to come into the casino and play. Our leaning is that this is definitely no longer the case.
The great majority of the big name casinos nowadays are behemothic complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any doors.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Importantly however, 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 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.