Books have been set forth on this item, and the disquiet and discord about where the "hot" slots are located in the casino are still happening – over 60 years after slot machine games were first installed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot games were located just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that individuals going by would see real jackpot winners and be possessed to come into the casino and play. Our observation is that this is not so anymore.
Practically all of the major casinos today are jumbo complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any doorways.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slots are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Importantly 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot games.