Books have been said on this item, and the disquiet and discussion about where the "hot" slot games are positioned in a casino are still intense – sixty yrs after slot machines were first installed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the better slots were installed just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that everyone walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be convinced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our assessment is that this is not so anymore.
Just about all of the major casinos nowadays are giant complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games near any doors.
An additional standard rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Importantly though, 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 slot games 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.