Books have been set forth on this subject, and the contention and discourse about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in the casino are still there – more than sixty years after slot games were first placed in the casinos.
The traditional rule is that the more favourable slot games were put just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that individuals walking by would see jackpot winners … be enticed to come into the casino … play. Our inference is that this is definitely no longer so.
Almost all of the large casinos these days are gigantic complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines close-by any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Notably 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 slot machines 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.