Books have been stated on this item, and the controversy and discussion about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in a casino are still passionate – over 60 years after the slots were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the better slot games were installed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that everyone going by would be able to see jackpot winners … be infatuated enough to come into the casino … play. Our observation is that this is no longer the case.
Many of the large casinos today are massive complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games close to any entrances or exits.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slots are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Interestingly 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.