Volumes have been said on this topic, and the debates and disagreement about where the "hot" slots are installed in a casino are still bubbling – more than 60 yrs after slots were first installed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the very best one armed bandits were positioned just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see jackpot winners and be attracted to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our interpretation is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Almost all of the big name casinos these days are immense complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any entrances.
Yet another classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Importantly though, 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 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.