Volumes have been written on this issue, and the bickering and arguments about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in a casino are still there – over 60 years after slot games were 1st placed in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the best one armed bandits were installed just inside the door of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be stirred to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our determination is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Many of the big name casinos presently are herculean complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any doors.
An additional standard rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Notably 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 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.