Slot Machine Location
Books have been stated on this issue, and the debates and arguments about where the "hot" one armed bandits are installed in a casino are still happening – 60 yrs after the slot machines were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the most favorable slots were placed just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential gamblers walking by would see actual jackpot winners and be smitten to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our presumption is that this is no longer the case.
Just about all of the major casinos presently are oversized complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any entrances or exits.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Notably 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 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 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 slots.