Books have been written on this topic, and the controversy and ruckus about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in the casino are still bubbling – sixty years after the slots were first placed in gambling dens.

The classic rule is that the very best slot machines were positioned just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that people passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be tempted to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our leaning is that this is definitely no longer true.

Almost all of the mega casinos presently are monstrous complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any doorways.

An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly 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 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 one armed bandits.