Volumes have been said on this item, and the conflict and discussion about where the "hot" slot machine games are located in the casino are still raging – over 60 years after slot machines were first placed in gambling houses.
The quintessential rule is that the very best slot machine games were installed just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see jackpot winners … be titillated to come inside … play. Our standpoint is that this is not so anymore.
Most of the mega casinos today are enormous complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines near any doors.
Another standard rule is that loose slot games are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Notably 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.