Volumes have been said on this subject, and the conflict and discussion about where the "hot" one armed bandits are positioned in the casino are still rampant – more than sixty years after slots were first installed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the very best slot games were installed just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that casino fanatics passing by would see jackpot winners … be infatuated enough to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our frame of mind is that this is not so anymore.
Nearly all of the major casinos today are herculean complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any doorways.
An additional classic rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Importantly 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 the slot machines 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 slot games.