Volumes have been set forth on this topic, and the bickering and discord about where the "hot" slot machines are located in a casino are still bubbling – more than sixty years after slot games were 1st placed in casinos.
The classic rule is that the superior slot machines were put just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that casino fanatics walking by would see real jackpot winners … be inspired to come inside … play. Our presumption is that this is definitely no longer true.
Most of the major casinos today are super-colossal complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close to any doorways.
Another standard rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be influenced 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 one armed bandits 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.