Volumes have been set forth on this issue, and the contention and squabbling about where the "hot" slots are installed in a casino are still rampant – more than sixty years after one armed bandits were first added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the very best slot machines were positioned just inside the entrance of the casino; so that folks walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be mesmerized enough to come into the casino … play. Our disposition is that this is definitely no longer so.
Almost all of the major casinos presently are massive complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any doorways.
Another standard rule is that loose slots are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Importantly 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 one armed bandits 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.