Books have been stated on this subject, and the debates and feuds about where the "hot" slot machines are located in the casino are still happening – more than 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first installed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were positioned just inside the main door of the casino; so that fun seekers walking by would see real jackpot winners … be impressed enough to come into the casino … play. Our stance is that this is no longer the case.
The great majority of the major casinos nowadays are huge complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slots close to any entrances or exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Interestingly though, 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 slot machine 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.