Volumes have been written on this item, and the debates and discord about where the "hot" video slots are installed in a casino are still passionate – 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first placed in gambling houses.
The classic rule is that the superior one armed bandits were located just inside the main entry of the casino; so that potential players going by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be convinced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our reckoning is that this is definitely no longer so.
Almost all of the mega casinos nowadays are immense complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machine games close-by any entrances or exits.
Another classic rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Interestingly 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 slots 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.