Books have been written on this issue, and the controversy and squabbling about where the "hot" video slots are placed in a casino are still rampant – sixty years after slot games were first placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the more favourable slots were put just inside the entrance of the casino; so that persons walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be impressed enough to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our sneaking suspicion is that this is no longer true.
Practically all of the large casinos presently are monstrous complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any entrances or exits.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot games are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Notably 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 the slot machines 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slots.