Volumes have been stated on this subject, and the disquiet and disagreement about where the "hot" slots are located in the casino are still on-going – more than sixty years after the slot machines were 1st placed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the better one armed bandits were located just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that potential players going by would see actual jackpot winners and be inspired to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our resolution is that this is no longer the case.
Many of the big name casinos these days are colossal complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any exits.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Importantly however, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.