Volumes have been written on this item, and the contention and discord about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in a casino are still bubbling – more than 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first installed in gambling houses.
The quintessential rule is that the better slot machines were installed just inside the main door of the casino; so that everyone passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be baited to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our resolution is that this is definitely no longer so.
Practically all of the big name casinos presently are oversized complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines in close proximity to any entrances.
An additional classic rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly however, 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 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 machine games.