Books have been written on this matter, and the debates and discussion about where the "hot" slot machine games are positioned in a casino are still ongoing – over 60 yrs after one armed bandits were 1st added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the very best one armed bandits were installed just inside the entry of the casino; so that everyone passing by would see jackpot winners … be possessed to come inside and play. Our verdict is that this is definitely no longer so.
Many of the mega casinos these days are grand complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any entrances or exits.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. However, 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.