Volumes have been written on this subject, and the conflict and ruckus about where the "hot" video slots are placed in the casino are still intense – more than sixty yrs after slots were first installed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the best slot machine games were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that people walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be mesmerized enough to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our speculation is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Many of the major casinos presently are monstrous complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slots near any exits.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be energized 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 perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.