Books have been written on this subject, and the debates and face-offs about where the "hot" slot games are installed in the casino are still bubbling – sixty yrs after one armed bandits were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the very best one armed bandits were placed just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that casino fanatics passing by would see real jackpot winners … be captivated to come inside and play. Our sneaking suspicion is that this is not so anymore.
Most of the mega casinos these days are gigantic complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any of the doors.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Nonetheless, 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 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 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.