Volumes have been stated on this subject, and the controversy and discourse about where the "hot" slots are placed in the casino are still passionate – over 60 years after one armed bandits were 1st installed in casinos.
The classic rule is that the more favourable slots were placed just inside the main door of the casino; so that casino fanatics walking by would see real jackpot winners … be influenced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our conviction is that this is definitely no longer so.
Many of the large casinos today are jumbo complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Interestingly though, we find that this also isn’t 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 slot games 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.
