Volumes have been set forth on this issue, and the debates and ruckus about where the "hot" slot machines are placed in a casino are still happening – sixty years after the slot machines were first placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable slot machines were positioned just inside the entrance of the casino; so that persons going by would see real jackpot winners and be enthralled to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our theory is that this is definitely no longer true.
Many of the mega casinos nowadays are jumbo complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any entrances.
An additional traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. However, we find that this also is not 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.