Volumes have been written on this subject, and the controversy and discussion about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in the casino are still there – over 60 years after one armed bandits were first placed in casinos.
The standard rule is that the most favorable slot machine games were put just inside the door of the casino; so that folks walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be possessed to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our conviction is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the big name casinos these days are titanic complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games near any doorways.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machine games are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.