Volumes have been stated on this item, and the debates and arguments about where the "hot" video slots are installed in a casino are still ongoing – more than sixty yrs after one armed bandits were first added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable slot machines were located just inside the entrance of the casino; so that potential players passing by would see jackpot winners … be impressed enough to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our view is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Many of the large casinos these days are enormous complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Notably 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 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.