Books have been said on this topic, and the disquiet and discord about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in the casino are still bubbling – 60 yrs after slot machines were 1st installed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the best slot games were located just inside the door of the casino; so that everyone passing by would see real jackpot winners and be baited to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our thought is that this is definitely no longer true.
The majority of the major casinos nowadays are colossal complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Interestingly though, 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.