Books have been set forth on this subject, and the controversy and face-offs about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still there – more than 60 years after slot machine games were 1st placed in the casinos.
The classic rule is that the best slot machines were positioned just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that folks walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be influenced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our frame of mind is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the big name casinos nowadays are grand 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 doors.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slots are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.