Books have been stated on this issue, and the disquiet and ruckus about where the "hot" video slots are installed in a casino are still taking place – 60 yrs after the slot machines were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the more favourable slot machines were installed just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that persons walking by would see actual jackpot winners and be tempted to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our perspective is that this is no longer true.
Practically all of the big name casinos nowadays are oversized complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any entrances.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machine games are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be energized 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 slots 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.
