Volumes have been set forth on this issue, and the disquiet and arguments about where the "hot" slot machines are located in a casino are still raging – sixty yrs after slot machine games were first added to the gaming floor in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the best slot machines were put just inside the main door of the casino; so that persons walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be aroused to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our theory is that this is no longer the case.
Practically all of the big name casinos these days are immense complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines close-by any doors.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Importantly however, 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 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 slots.